Respirator device with light exposure detection

ABSTRACT

A system including a head-mounted device having a face shield; a respirator coupled to or embodied in the head mounted device; a light having a light intensity; a light detector, and a computing device communicatively coupled to the at least one light detector that receive from the light detector data indicting a type and intensity of light, and determine that the light matches a particular type of light and whether it exceeds a threshold, and on the basis of this determination, modifies the intensity of the light.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/310,899, filed Dec. 18, 2018, now allowed, which is a 371 ofPCT/US2017/039015 Jun. 23, 2017, which claims benefit of Ser. No.15/190,564, filed on Jun. 23, 2016 and claims benefit of 62/408,564,filed on Oct. 14, 2016.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of personal protectiveequipment. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to personalprotective equipment that generate data.

BACKGROUND

When working in areas where there is known to be, or there is apotential of there being, dusts, fumes, gases, airborne contaminants,fall hazards, hearing hazards or any other hazards that are potentiallyhazardous or harmful to health, it is usual for a worker to use personalprotective equipment, such as respirator or a clean air supply source.While a large variety of personal protective equipment are available,some commonly used devices include powered air purifying respirators(PAPR), self-contained breathing apparatuses, fall protection harnesses,ear muffs, face shields, and welding masks. For instance, a PAPRtypically includes a blower system comprising a fan powered by anelectric motor for delivering a forced flow of air through a tube to ahead top worn by a user. A PAPR typically includes a device that drawsambient air through a filter, forces the air through a breathing tubeand into a helmet or head top to provide filtered air to a user'sbreathing zone, around their nose or mouth. An SCBA provides clean airfrom a compressed air tank through a tube or hose to the interior of ahead top worn by a user. In some examples, various personal protectiveequipment may generate various types of data.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure in one embodiment is directed to a systemincluding a respirator and a face shield that includes both a light anda light detector. Upon receiving from the light detector data indicatinga type and intensity of detected light, the light's intensity ismodified. The light detector in one embodiment can detect multiplewavelength spectrums of light

The details of one or more examples of the disclosure are set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features,objects, and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from thedescription and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example system in whichpersonal protection equipment (PPEs), such as filtered air respiratorsystems, having embedded sensors and communication capabilities areutilized within a number of work environments and are managed by apersonal protection equipment management system (PPEMS) in accordancewith various techniques of this disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an operating perspective of thepersonal protection equipment management system shown in FIG. 1 inaccordance with various techniques of this disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a system diagram of an exposure indicating filtered airrespirator system in accordance with various techniques of thisdisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of electronic components in an exposureindicating filtered air respirator system in accordance with varioustechniques of this disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart associated with determining exposure inaccordance with various techniques of this disclosure.

FIG. 6 is an exposure-indicating head top in accordance with varioustechniques of this disclosure.

FIG. 7 is an exposure indicating head top and communication hub systemin accordance with various techniques of this disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example ofself-retracting line (SRL) in communication with a wearable data hub, inaccordance with various aspects of this disclosure.

FIGS. 9-16 illustrate example user interfaces for representing usagedata from one or more respirators, according to aspects of thisdisclosure.

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process fordetermining the likelihood of a safety event, according to aspects ofthis disclosure.

FIG. 18 is a flow chart of a process for generating a user interface(UI) that includes content based on usage data from one or morerespirators.

FIGS. 19A-19B illustrate a system that includes a head top and hearingprotector, in accordance with this disclosure.

FIGS. 20A-20B illustrate a system that includes a headtop and a visor inaccordance with this disclosure.

FIGS. 21A-21B illustrate a system that includes a headtop and a visor inaccordance with this disclosure.

It is to be understood that the embodiments may be utilized andstructural changes may be made without departing from the scope of theinvention. The figures are not necessarily to scale. Like numbers usedin the figures refer to like components. However, it will be understoodthat the use of a number to refer to a component in a given figure isnot intended to limit the component in another figure labeled with thesame number.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to aspects of this disclosure, an article of PPE may includesensors for capturing data that is indicative of operation, location, orenvironmental conditions surrounding an article of PPE. Sensors mayinclude any device that generates data or context information. Such datamay generally be referred to herein as usage data or, alternatively,operation data or sensor data. In some examples, usage data may take theform of a stream of samples over a period of time. In some instances,the sensors may be configured to measure operating characteristics ofcomponents of the article of PPE, characteristics of a worker using orwearing the article of PPE, and/or environmental factors associated withan environment in which the article of PPE is located. Moreover, asdescribed herein, the article of PPE may be configured to include one ormore electronic components for outputting communication to therespective worker, such as speakers, vibration devices, LEDs, buzzers orother devices for outputting alerts, audio messages, sounds, indicatorsand the like.

According to aspects of this disclosure, articles of PPE may beconfigured to transmit the acquired usage data to a personal protectionequipment management system (PPEMS), which may be a cloud-based systemhaving an analytics engine configured to process streams of incomingusage data from personal protection equipment deployed and used by apopulation of workers at various work environments. The analytics engineof the PPEMS may apply the streams of incoming usage data (or at least asubset of the usage data) to one or more models to monitor and predictthe likelihood of an occurrence of a safety event for the workerassociated with any individual article of PPE. For example, theanalytics engine may compare measured parameters (e.g., as measured bythe electronic sensors) to known models that characterize activity of auser of an article of PPE, e.g., that represent safe activities, unsafeactivities, or activities of concern (which may typically occur prior tounsafe activities) in order to determine the probability of an eventoccurring.

The analytics engine may generate an output in response to predictingthe likelihood of the occurrence of a safety event. For example, theanalytics engine may generate an output that indicates a safety event islikely to occur based on data collected from a user of an article ofPPE. The output may be used to alert the user of the article of PPE thatthe safety event is likely to occur, allowing the user to alter theirbehavior. In other examples, circuitry embedded within the respiratorsor processors within intermediate data hubs more local to the workersmay be programmed via the PPEMS or other mechanism to apply models orrule sets determined by the PPEMS so as to locally generate and outputalerts or other preventative measure designed to avoid or mitigate apredicted safety event. In this way, the techniques provide tools toaccurately measure and/or monitor operation of a respirator anddetermine predictive outcomes based on the operation. Although certainexamples of this disclosure are provided with respect to certain typesof PPE for illustration purposes, the systems, techniques, and devicesof this disclosure are applicable to any type of PPE.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing system 2that includes a personal protection equipment management system (PPEMS)6 for managing personal protection equipment. As described herein, PPEMSallows authorized users to perform preventive occupational health andsafety actions and manage inspections and maintenance of safetyprotective equipment. By interacting with PPEMS 6, safety professionalscan, for example, manage area inspections, worker inspections, workerhealth and safety compliance training.

In general, PPEMS 6 provides data acquisition, monitoring, activitylogging, reporting, predictive analytics, PPE control, and alertgeneration. For example, PPEMS 6 includes an underlying analytics andsafety event prediction engine and alerting system in accordance withvarious examples described herein. In general, a safety event may referto activities of a user of personal protective equipment (PPE), acondition of the PPE, or an environmental condition (e.g., which may behazardous). In some examples, a safety event may be an injury or workercondition, workplace harm, or regulatory violation. For example, in thecontext of fall protection equipment, a safety event may be misuse ofthe fall protection equipment, a user of the fall equipment experiencinga fall, or a failure of the fall protection equipment. In the context ofa respirator, a safety event may be misuse of the respirator, a user ofthe respirator not receiving an appropriate quality and/or quantity ofair, or failure of the respirator. A safety event may also be associatedwith a hazard in the environment in which the PPE is located. In someexamples, occurrence of a safety event associated with the article ofPPE may include a safety event in the environment in which the PPE isused or a safety event associated with a worker using the article ofPPE. In some examples, a safety event may be an indication that PPE, aworker, and/or a worker environment are operating, in use, or acting ina way that is normal operation, where normal operation is apredetermined or predefined condition of acceptable or safe operation,use, or activity.

As further described below, PPEMS 6 provides an integrated suite ofpersonal safety protection equipment management tools and implementsvarious techniques of this disclosure. That is, PPEMS 6 provides anintegrated, end-to-end system for managing personal protectionequipment, e.g., safety equipment, used by workers 10 within one or morephysical environments 8, which may be construction sites, mining ormanufacturing sites or any physical environment. The techniques of thisdisclosure may be realized within various parts of computing environment2.

As shown in the example of FIG. 1, system 2 represents a computingenvironment in which a computing device within of a plurality ofphysical environments 8A, 8B (collectively, environments 8)electronically communicate with PPEMS 6 via one or more computernetworks 4. Each of physical environment 8 represents a physicalenvironment, such as a work environment, in which one or moreindividuals, such as workers 10, utilize personal protection equipmentwhile engaging in tasks or activities within the respective environment.

In this example, environment 8A is shown as generally as having workers10, while environment 8B is shown in expanded form to provide a moredetailed example. In the example of FIG. 1, a plurality of workers10A-10N are shown as utilizing respective respirators 13A-13N.

As further described herein, each of respirators 13 includes embeddedsensors or monitoring devices and processing electronics configured tocapture data in real-time as a user (e.g., worker) engages in activitieswhile wearing the respirators. For example, as described in greaterdetail herein, respirators 13 may include a number of components (e.g.,a head top, a blower, a filter, and the like) respirators 13 may includea number of sensors for sensing or controlling the operation of suchcomponents. A head top may include, as examples, a head top visorposition sensor, a head top temperature sensor, a head top motionsensor, a head top impact detection sensor, a head top position sensor,a head top battery level sensor, a head top head detection sensor, anambient noise sensor, or the like. A blower may include, as examples, ablower state sensor, a blower pressure sensor, a blower run time sensor,a blower temperature sensor, a blower battery sensor, a blower motionsensor, a blower impact detection sensor, a blower position sensor, orthe like. A filter may include, as examples, a filter presence sensor, afilter type sensor, or the like. Each of the above-noted sensors maygenerate usage data, as described herein.

In addition, each of respirators 13 may include one or more outputdevices for outputting data that is indicative of operation ofrespirators 13 and/or generating and outputting communications to therespective worker 10. For example, respirators 13 may include one ormore devices to generate audible feedback (e.g., one or more speakers),visual feedback (e.g., one or more displays, light emitting diodes(LEDs) or the like), or tactile feedback (e.g., a device that vibratesor provides other haptic feedback).

In general, each of environments 8 include computing facilities (e.g., alocal area network) by which respirators 13 are able to communicate withPPEMS 6. For example, environments 8 may be configured with wirelesstechnology, such as 802.11 wireless networks, 802.15 ZigBee networks,and the like. In the example of FIG. 1, environment 8B includes a localnetwork 7 that provides a packet-based transport medium forcommunicating with PPEMS 6 via network 4. In addition, environment 8Bincludes a plurality of wireless access points 19A, 19B that may begeographically distributed throughout the environment to provide supportfor wireless communications throughout the work environment.

Each of respirators 13 is configured to communicate data, such as sensedmotions, events and conditions, via wireless communications, such as via802.11 WiFi protocols, Bluetooth protocol or the like. Respirators 13may, for example, communicate directly with a wireless access point 19.As another example, each worker 10 may be equipped with a respective oneof wearable communication hubs 14A-14M that enable and facilitatecommunication between respirators 13 and PPEMS 6. For example,respirators 13 as well as other PPEs (such as fall protection equipment,hearing protection, hardhats, or other equipment) for the respectiveworker 10 may communicate with a respective communication hub 14 viaBluetooth or other short range protocol, and the communication hubs maycommunicate with PPEMs 6 via wireless communications processed bywireless access points 19. Although shown as wearable devices, hubs 14may be implemented as stand-alone devices deployed within environment8B. In some examples, hubs 14 may be articles of PPE.

In general, each of hubs 14 operates as a wireless device forrespirators 13 relaying communications to and from respirators 13, andmay be capable of buffering usage data in case communication is lostwith PPEMS 6. Moreover, each of hubs 14 is programmable via PPEMS 6 sothat local alert rules may be installed and executed without requiring aconnection to the cloud. As such, each of hubs 14 provides a relay ofstreams of usage data from respirators 13 and/or other PPEs within therespective environment, and provides a local computing environment forlocalized alerting based on streams of events in the event communicationwith PPEMS 6 is lost.

As shown in the example of FIG. 1, an environment, such as environment8B, may also include one or more wireless-enabled beacons, such asbeacons 17A-17C, that provide accurate location information within thework environment. For example, beacons 17A-17C may be GPS-enabled suchthat a controller within the respective beacon may be able to preciselydetermine the position of the respective beacon. Based on wirelesscommunications with one or more of beacons 17, a given respirator 13 orcommunication hub 14 worn by a worker 10 is configured to determine thelocation of the worker within work environment 8B. In this way, eventdata (e.g., usage data) reported to PPEMS 6 may be stamped withpositional information to aid analysis, reporting and analyticsperformed by the PPEMS.

In addition, an environment, such as environment 8B, may also includeone or more wireless-enabled sensing stations, such as sensing stations21A, 21B. Each sensing station 21 includes one or more sensors and acontroller configured to output data indicative of sensed environmentalconditions. Moreover, sensing stations 21 may be positioned withinrespective geographic regions of environment 8B or otherwise interactwith beacons 17 to determine respective positions and include suchpositional information when reporting environmental data to PPEMS 6. Assuch, PPEMS 6 may be configured to correlate the sense environmentalconditions with the particular regions and, therefore, may utilize thecaptured environmental data when processing event data received fromrespirators 13. For example, PPEMS 6 may utilize the environmental datato aid generating alerts or other instructions for respirators 13 andfor performing predictive analytics, such as determining anycorrelations between certain environmental conditions (e.g., heat,humidity, visibility) with abnormal worker behavior or increased safetyevents. As such, PPEMS 6 may utilize current environmental conditions toaid prediction and avoidance of imminent safety events. Exampleenvironmental conditions that may be sensed by sensing stations 21include but are not limited to temperature, humidity, presence of gas,pressure, visibility, wind and the like.

In example implementations, an environment, such as environment 8B, mayalso include one or more safety stations 15 distributed throughout theenvironment to provide viewing stations for accessing respirators 13.Safety stations 15 may allow one of workers 10 to check out respirators13 and/or other safety equipment, verify that safety equipment isappropriate for a particular one of environments 8, and/or exchangedata. For example, safety stations 15 may transmit alert rules, softwareupdates, or firmware updates to respirators 13 or other equipment.Safety stations 15 may also receive data cached on respirators 13, hubs14, and/or other safety equipment. That is, while respirators 13 (and/ordata hubs 14) may typically transmit usage data from sensors ofrespirators 13 to network 4 in real time or near real time, in someinstances, respirators 13 (and/or data hubs 14) may not haveconnectivity to network 4. In such instances, respirators 13 (and/ordata hubs 14) may store usage data locally and transmit the usage datato safety stations 15 upon being in proximity with safety stations 15.Safety stations 15 may then upload the data from respirators 13 andconnect to network 4.

In addition, each of environments 8 include computing facilities thatprovide an operating environment for end-user computing devices 16 forinteracting with PPEMS 6 via network 4. For example, each ofenvironments 8 typically includes one or more safety managersresponsible for overseeing safety compliance within the environment. Ingeneral, each user 20 interacts with computing devices 16 to accessPPEMS 6. Each of environments 8 may include systems. Similarly, remoteusers may use computing devices 18 to interact with PPEMS via network 4.For purposes of example, the end-user computing devices 16 may belaptops, desktop computers, mobile devices such as tablets or so-calledsmart phones and the like.

Users 20, 24 interact with PPEMS 6 to control and actively manage manyaspects of safely equipment utilized by workers 10, such as accessingand viewing usage records, analytics and reporting. For example, users20, 24 may review usage information acquired and stored by PPEMS 6,where the usage information may include data specifying starting andending times over a time duration (e.g., a day, a week, or the like),data collected during particular events, such as lifts of a visor ofrespirators 13, removal of respirators 13 from a head of workers 10,changes to operating parameters of respirators 13, status changes tocomponents of respirators 13 (e.g., a low battery event), motion ofworkers 10, detected impacts to respirators 13 or hubs 14, sensed dataacquired from the user, environment data, and the like. In addition,users 20, 24 may interact with PPEMS 6 to perform asset tracking and toschedule maintenance events for individual pieces of safety equipment,e.g., respirators 13, to ensure compliance with any procedures orregulations. PPEMS 6 may allow users 20, 24 to create and completedigital checklists with respect to the maintenance procedures and tosynchronize any results of the procedures from computing devices 16, 18to PPEMS 6.

Further, as described herein, PPEMS 6 integrates an event processingplatform configured to process thousand or even millions of concurrentstreams of events from digitally enabled PPEs, such as respirators 13.An underlying analytics engine of PPEMS 6 applies historical data andmodels to the inbound streams to compute assertions, such as identifiedanomalies or predicted occurrences of safety events based on conditionsor behavior patterns of workers 10. Further, PPEMS 6 provides real-timealerting and reporting to notify workers 10 and/or users 20, 24 of anypredicted events, anomalies, trends, and the like.

The analytics engine of PPEMS 6 may, in some examples, apply analyticsto identify relationships or correlations between sensed worker data,environmental conditions, geographic regions and other factors andanalyze the impact on safety events. PPEMS 6 may determine, based on thedata acquired across populations of workers 10, which particularactivities, possibly within certain geographic region, lead to, or arepredicted to lead to, unusually high occurrences of safety events.

In this way, PPEMS 6 tightly integrates comprehensive tools for managingpersonal protection equipment with an underlying analytics engine andcommunication system to provide data acquisition, monitoring, activitylogging, reporting, behavior analytics and alert generation. Moreover,PPEMS 6 provides a communication system for operation and utilization byand between the various elements of system 2. Users 20, 24 may accessPPEMS 6 to view results on any analytics performed by PPEMS 6 on dataacquired from workers 10. In some examples, PPEMS 6 may present aweb-based interface via a web server (e.g., an HTTP server) orclient-side applications may be deployed for devices of computingdevices 16, 18 used by users 20, 24, such as desktop computers, laptopcomputers, mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, or the like.

In some examples, PPEMS 6 may provide a database query engine fordirectly querying PPEMS 6 to view acquired safety information,compliance information and any results of the analytic engine, e.g., bythe way of dashboards, alert notifications, reports and the like. Thatis, users 24, 26, or software executing on computing devices 16, 18, maysubmit queries to PPEMS 6 and receive data corresponding to the queriesfor presentation in the form of one or more reports or dashboards (e.g.,as shown in the examples of FIGS. 9-16). Such dashboards may providevarious insights regarding system 2, such as baseline (“normal”)operation across worker populations, identifications of any anomalousworkers engaging in abnormal activities that may potentially expose theworker to risks, identifications of any geographic regions withinenvironments 2 for which unusually anomalous (e.g., high) safety eventshave been or are predicted to occur, identifications of any ofenvironments 2 exhibiting anomalous occurrences of safety eventsrelative to other environments, and the like.

As illustrated in detail below, PPEMS 6 may simplify workflows forindividuals charged with monitoring and ensure safety compliance for anentity or environment. That is, the techniques of this disclosure mayenable active safety management and allow an organization to takepreventative or correction actions with respect to certain regionswithin environments 8, particular pieces of safety equipment orindividual workers 10, define and may further allow the entity toimplement workflow procedures that are data-driven by an underlyinganalytical engine.

As one example, the underlying analytical engine of PPEMS 6 may beconfigured to compute and present customer-defined metrics for workerpopulations within a given environment 8 or across multiple environmentsfor an organization as a whole. For example, PPEMS 6 may be configuredto acquire data and provide aggregated performance metrics and predictedbehavior analytics across a worker population (e.g., across workers 10of either or both of environments 8A, 8B). Furthermore, users 20, 24 mayset benchmarks for occurrence of any safety incidences, and PPEMS 6 maytrack actual performance metrics relative to the benchmarks forindividuals or defined worker populations.

As another example, PPEMS 6 may further trigger an alert if certaincombinations of conditions are present, e.g., to accelerate examinationor service of a safety equipment, such as one of respirators 13. In thismanner, PPEMS 6 may identify individual respirators 13 or workers 10 forwhich the metrics do not meet the benchmarks and prompt the users tointervene and/or perform procedures to improve the metrics relative tothe benchmarks, thereby ensuring compliance and actively managing safetyfor workers 10.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram providing an operating perspective of PPEMS 6when hosted as cloud-based platform capable of supporting multiple,distinct work environments 8 having an overall population of workers 10that have a variety of communication enabled personal protectionequipment (PPE), such as safety release lines (SRLs) 11, respirators 13,safety helmets, hearing protection or other safety equipment. In theexample of FIG. 2, the components of PPEMS 6 are arranged according tomultiple logical layers that implement the techniques of the disclosure.Each layer may be implemented by a one or more modules comprised ofhardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

In FIG. 2, personal protection equipment (PPEs) 62, such as SRLs 11,respirators 13 and/or other equipment, either directly or by way of hubs14, as well as computing devices 60, operate as clients 63 thatcommunicate with PPEMS 6 via interface layer 64. Computing devices 60typically execute client software applications, such as desktopapplications, mobile applications, and web applications. Computingdevices 60 may represent any of computing devices 16, 18 of FIG. 1.Examples of computing devices 60 may include, but are not limited to aportable or mobile computing device (e.g., smartphone, wearablecomputing device, tablet), laptop computers, desktop computers, smarttelevision platforms, and servers, to name only a few examples.

As further described in this disclosure, PPEs 62 communicate with PPEMS6 (directly or via hubs 14) to provide streams of data acquired fromembedded sensors and other monitoring circuitry and receive from PPEMS 6alerts, configuration and other communications. Client applicationsexecuting on computing devices 60 may communicate with PPEMS 6 to sendand receive information that is retrieved, stored, generated, and/orotherwise processed by services 68. For instance, the clientapplications may request and edit safety event information includinganalytical data stored at and/or managed by PPEMS 6. In some examples,client applications 61 may request and display aggregate safety eventinformation that summarizes or otherwise aggregates numerous individualinstances of safety events and corresponding data acquired from PPEs 62and or generated by PPEMS 6. The client applications may interact withPPEMS 6 to query for analytics information about past and predictedsafety events, behavior trends of workers 10, to name only a fewexamples. In some examples, the client applications may output fordisplay information received from PPEMS 6 to visualize such informationfor users of clients 63. As further illustrated and described in below,PPEMS 6 may provide information to the client applications, which theclient applications output for display in user interfaces.

Clients applications executing on computing devices 60 may beimplemented for different platforms but include similar or the samefunctionality. For instance, a client application may be a desktopapplication compiled to run on a desktop operating system, such asMicrosoft Windows, Apple OS X, or Linux, to name only a few examples. Asanother example, a client application may be a mobile applicationcompiled to run on a mobile operating system, such as Google Android,Apple iOS, Microsoft Windows Mobile, or BlackBerry OS to name only a fewexamples. As another example, a client application may be a webapplication such as a web browser that displays web pages received fromPPEMS 6. In the example of a web application, PPEMS 6 may receiverequests from the web application (e.g., the web browser), process therequests, and send one or more responses back to the web application. Inthis way, the collection of web pages, the client-side processing webapplication, and the server-side processing performed by PPEMS 6collectively provides the functionality to perform techniques of thisdisclosure. In this way, client applications use various services ofPPEMS 6 in accordance with techniques of this disclosure, and theapplications may operate within various different computing environment(e.g., embedded circuitry or processor of a PPE, a desktop operatingsystem, mobile operating system, or web browser, to name only a fewexamples).

As shown in FIG. 2, PPEMS 6 includes an interface layer 64 thatrepresents a set of application programming interfaces (API) or protocolinterface presented and supported by PPEMS 6. Interface layer 64initially receives messages from any of clients 63 for furtherprocessing at PPEMS 6. Interface layer 64 may therefore provide one ormore interfaces that are available to client applications executing onclients 63. In some examples, the interfaces may be applicationprogramming interfaces (APIs) that are accessible over a network.Interface layer 64 may be implemented with one or more web servers. Theone or more web servers may receive incoming requests, process and/orforward information from the requests to services 68, and provide one ormore responses, based on information received from services 68, to theclient application that initially sent the request. In some examples,the one or more web servers that implement interface layer 64 mayinclude a runtime environment to deploy program logic that provides theone or more interfaces. As further described below, each service mayprovide a group of one or more interfaces that are accessible viainterface layer 64.

In some examples, interface layer 64 may provide Representational StateTransfer (RESTful) interfaces that use HTTP methods to interact withservices and manipulate resources of PPEMS 6. In such examples, services68 may generate JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) messages thatinterface layer 64 sends back to the client application 61 thatsubmitted the initial request. In some examples, interface layer 64provides web services using Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) toprocess requests from client applications 61. In still other examples,interface layer 64 may use Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) to processrequests from clients 63. Upon receiving a request from a clientapplication to use one or more services 68, interface layer 64 sends theinformation to application layer 66, which includes services 68.

As shown in FIG. 2, PPEMS 6 also includes an application layer 66 thatrepresents a collection of services for implementing much of theunderlying operations of PPEMS 6. Application layer 66 receivesinformation included in requests received from client applications 61and further processes the information according to one or more ofservices 68 invoked by the requests. Application layer 66 may beimplemented as one or more discrete software services executing on oneor more application servers, e.g., physical or virtual machines. Thatis, the application servers provide runtime environments for executionof services 68. In some examples, the functionality interface layer 64as described above and the functionality of application layer 66 may beimplemented at the same server.

Application layer 66 may include one or more separate software services68, e.g., processes that communicate, e.g., via a logical service bus 70as one example. Service bus 70 generally represents a logicalinterconnections or set of interfaces that allows different services tosend messages to other services, such as by a publish/subscriptioncommunication model. For instance, each of services 68 may subscribe tospecific types of messages based on criteria set for the respectiveservice. When a service publishes a message of a particular type onservice bus 70, other services that subscribe to messages of that typewill receive the message. In this way, each of services 68 maycommunicate information to one another. As another example, services 68may communicate in point-to-point fashion using sockets or othercommunication mechanism. Before describing the functionality of each ofservices 68, the layers are briefly described herein.

Data layer 72 of PPEMS 6 represents a data repository that providespersistence for information in PPEMS 6 using one or more datarepositories 74. A data repository, generally, may be any data structureor software that stores and/or manages data. Examples of datarepositories include but are not limited to relational databases,multi-dimensional databases, maps, and hash tables, to name only a fewexamples. Data layer 72 may be implemented using Relational DatabaseManagement System (RDBMS) software to manage information in datarepositories 74. The RDBMS software may manage one or more datarepositories 74, which may be accessed using Structured Query Language(SQL). Information in the one or more databases may be stored,retrieved, and modified using the RDBMS software. In some examples, datalayer 72 may be implemented using an Object Database Management System(ODBMS), Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) database or other suitabledata management system.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of services 68A-68I (“services 68”) isimplemented in a modular form within PPEMS 6. Although shown as separatemodules for each service, in some examples the functionality of two ormore services may be combined into a single module or component. Each ofservices 68 may be implemented in software, hardware, or a combinationof hardware and software. Moreover, services 68 may be implemented asstandalone devices, separate virtual machines or containers, processes,threads or software instructions generally for execution on one or morephysical processors.

In some examples, one or more of services 68 may each provide one ormore interfaces that are exposed through interface layer 64.Accordingly, client applications of computing devices 60 may call one ormore interfaces of one or more of services 68 to perform techniques ofthis disclosure.

In accordance with techniques of the disclosure, services 68 may includean event processing platform including an event endpoint frontend 68A,event selector 68B, event processor 68C and high priority (HP) eventprocessor 68D. Event endpoint frontend 68A operates as a front endinterface for receiving and sending communications to PPEs 62 and hubs14. In other words, event endpoint frontend 68A operates to as a frontline interface to safety equipment deployed within environments 8 andutilized by workers 10. In some instances, event endpoint frontend 68Amay be implemented as a plurality of tasks or jobs spawned to receiveindividual inbound communications of event streams 69 from the PPEs 62carrying data sensed and captured by the safety equipment. Whenreceiving event streams 69, for example, event endpoint frontend 68A mayspawn tasks to quickly enqueue an inbound communication, referred to asan event, and close the communication session, thereby providinghigh-speed processing and scalability. Each incoming communication may,for example, carry data recently captured data representing sensedconditions, motions, temperatures, actions or other data, generallyreferred to as events. Communications exchanged between the eventendpoint frontend 68A and the PPEs may be real-time or pseudo real-timedepending on communication delays and continuity.

Event selector 68B operates on the stream of events 69 received fromPPEs 62 and/or hubs 14 via frontend 68A and determines, based on rulesor classifications, priorities associated with the incoming events.Based on the priorities, event selector 68B enqueues the events forsubsequent processing by event processor 68C or high priority (HP) eventprocessor 68D. Additional computational resources and objects may bededicated to HP event processor 68D so as to ensure responsiveness tocritical events, such as incorrect usage of PPEs, use of incorrectfilters and/or respirators based on geographic locations and conditions,failure to properly secure SRLs 11 and the like. Responsive toprocessing high priority events, HP event processor 68D may immediatelyinvoke notification service 68E to generate alerts, instructions,warnings or other similar messages to be output to SRLs 11, respirators13, hubs 14 and/or remote users 20, 24. Events not classified as highpriority are consumed and processed by event processor 68C.

In general, event processor 68C or high priority (HP) event processor68D operate on the incoming streams of events to update event data 74Awithin data repositories 74. In general, event data 74A may include allor a subset of usage data obtained from PPEs 62. For example, in someinstances, event data 74A may include entire streams of samples of dataobtained from electronic sensors of PPEs 62. In other instances, eventdata 74A may include a subset of such data, e.g., associated with aparticular time period or activity of PPEs 62.

In some examples, as described in greater detail herein, respirators 13may include a number of components such as, for example, a head top, ablower for blowing air to the head top, and a filter for filtering air.Table 1, shown below, includes a non-limiting set of usage data that maybe obtained from respirators 13 with respect to the head top:

TABLE 1 INPUT NAME VALUE DEFINITION DESCRIPTION Head_Top_Visor_PositionOPEN, CLOSED Head Top Visor Position: Open or Closed Head_Top_Temp −40°C. To 60° C. Temperature: Inside Case Of Peripheral Head_Top_MotionMOTION, STILL Motion: Is there any motion detected over the last xseconds? (Boolean) Head_Top_Impact_Detect YES, NO Impact: AccelerometerG-Force that exceeded a threshold. Head_Top_Upright_Position PRONE,UPRIGHT Posture: Is the wearer Upright or Prone? Head_Top_Battery_LevelGOOD, REPLACE Battery: Good, Replace Soon, Replace SOON, REPLACE NOW NowHead_Top_Head_Detected YES, NO Head Detected: Yes, NoHead_Top_Ambient_Noise_Level QUIET, NORMAL, Ambient Noise Level: Normal,LOUD, DANGER Moderate, Loud, Danger Head_Top_Firmware_Revision Firmwarerevision number: Head_Top_Hardware_Revision_PWA Hardware revisionnumbers: (PWA) Head_Top_Hardware_Revision_PWB Hardware revision numbers:(PWB) Head_Top_Serial_Number Head Top Peripheral Serial Number:

Table 2, shown below, includes a non-limiting set of usage data that maybe obtained from respirators 13 with respect to a blower:

TABLE 2 VALUE INPUT NAME DEFINITION DESCRIPTION TR600_Blower_Temperature−40° C. To 60° C. Temperature: Circuitry Of Blower TR600_Blower_MotionMOTION, STILL Motion: Is there any motion detected over the last xseconds? (Boolean) Motion: Standard accelerometer Motion: Standardaccelerometer data for 6 data for 6 axis. Linear and angular axis.Linear and angular acceleration data acceleration data stream. stream.TR600_Blower_Impact_Detect YES, NO Impact: Accelerometer G-Force thatexceeded a threshold. TR600_Blower_Upright_Position PRONE, UPRIGHTPosture: Is the wearer Upright or Prone?TR600_Blower_Battery_Estimated_Run_Time 0 To 960 Minutes Estimatedremaining battery run time under current running conditionsTR600_Battery_Percent_Of_Full 0 To 100 Battery Percent Of Full Charge(State Of Charge) TR600_Battery_Replacement_Status GOOD, REPLACE Battery(State Of Health): Good, Replace SOON, REPLACE Soon, Replace Now NOWTR600_Particulate_Filter_Range 0 To 100 LED's On Blower DisplayTR600_Filter_Is_Equipped? YES, NO Filter (Is One Detected?)TR600_Filter_Type 16 Bit Field, 0000h = Filter Type: Particulate, OV,etc. UNKNOWN TR600_Filter_Loading_Status 0 To 100 Filter Loading Status:% Of Filter consumed. Filter Cumulative Run Time: Filter Cumulative RunTime: Minutes of total Minutes of total run time. run time. FilterManufacturing Date: Filter Manufacturing Date: Filter Shelf LifeExpiration Date: Filter Shelf Life Expiration Date: Filter Start UseDate: Filter Start Use Date: Filter Change Out Date: Filter Change OutDate:

Table 3, shown below, includes a non-limiting set of usage data that maybe obtained from respirators 13 with respect to a filter:

TABLE 3 VALUE INPUT NAME DEFINITION DESCRIPTION Filter Status: Active,Filter Status: Active, Decommissioned, Decommissioned, etc. etc.TR600_Blower_State LOW, MED, HI Low, Med, Hi speed selected on theblower panel. TR600_Blower_Alarms 16 Bit Field Blower Alarms: Low Flow +any other. (Ask Keith M.) TR600_Head_Top_Configuration LOOSE, TIGHT HeadTop Configuration: Loose or Tight fitting. Firmware revision numberFirmware revision number Blower serial number Blower serial numberPressure reading Pressure reading Blower Total Run Time Blower Total RunTime Blower Calculated Air Flow Blower Calculated Air Flow Batteryserial number Battery serial number

Event processors 68C, 68D may create, read, update, and delete eventinformation stored in event data 74A. Event information for may bestored in a respective database record as a structure that includesname/value pairs of information, such as data tables specified inrow/column format. For instance, a name (e.g., column) may be “workerID” and a value may be an employee identification number. An eventrecord may include information such as, but not limited to: workeridentification, PPE identification, acquisition timestamp(s) and dataindicative of one or more sensed parameters.

In addition, event selector 68B directs the incoming stream of events tostream analytics service 68F, which is configured to perform in depthprocessing of the incoming stream of events to perform real-timeanalytics. Stream analytics service 68F may, for example, be configuredto process and compare multiple streams of event data 74A withhistorical data and models 74B in real-time as event data 74A isreceived. In this way, stream analytic service 68D may be configured todetect anomalies, transform incoming event data values, trigger alertsupon detecting safety concerns based on conditions or worker behaviors.Historical data and models 74B may include, for example, specifiedsafety rules, business rules and the like. In addition, stream analyticservice 68D may generate output for communicating to PPPEs 62 bynotification service 68F or computing devices 60 by way of recordmanagement and reporting service 68D.

In this way, analytics service 68F processes inbound streams of events,potentially hundreds or thousands of streams of events, from enabledsafety PPEs 62 utilized by workers 10 within environments 8 to applyhistorical data and models 74B to compute assertions, such as identifiedanomalies or predicted occurrences of imminent safety events based onconditions or behavior patterns of the workers. Analytics service may68D publish the assertions to notification service 68F and/or recordmanagement by service bus 70 for output to any of clients 63.

In this way, analytics service 68F may be configured as an active safetymanagement system that predicts imminent safety concerns and providesreal-time alerting and reporting. In addition, analytics service 68F maybe a decision support system that provides techniques for processinginbound streams of event data to generate assertions in the form ofstatistics, conclusions, and/or recommendations on an aggregate orindividualized worker and/or PPE basis for enterprises, safety officersand other remote users. For instance, analytics service 68F may applyhistorical data and models 74B to determine, for a particular worker,the likelihood that a safety event is imminent for the worker based ondetected behavior or activity patterns, environmental conditions andgeographic locations. In some examples, analytics service 68F maydetermine whether a worker is currently impaired, e.g., due toexhaustion, sickness or alcohol/drug use, and may require interventionto prevent safety events. As yet another example, analytics service 68Fmay provide comparative ratings of workers or type of safety equipmentin a particular environment 8.

Hence, analytics service 68F may maintain or otherwise use one or moremodels that provide risk metrics to predict safety events. Analyticsservice 68F may also generate order sets, recommendations, and qualitymeasures. In some examples, analytics service 68F may generate userinterfaces based on processing information stored by PPEMS 6 to provideactionable information to any of clients 63. For example, analyticsservice 68F may generate dashboards, alert notifications, reports andthe like for output at any of clients 63. Such information may providevarious insights regarding baseline (“normal”) operation across workerpopulations, identifications of any anomalous workers engaging inabnormal activities that may potentially expose the worker to risks,identifications of any geographic regions within environments for whichunusually anomalous (e.g., high) safety events have been or arepredicted to occur, identifications of any of environments exhibitinganomalous occurrences of safety events relative to other environments,and the like.

Although other technologies can be used, in one example implementation,analytics service 68F utilizes machine learning when operating onstreams of safety events so as to perform real-time analytics. That is,analytics service 68F includes executable code generated by applicationof machine learning to training data of event streams and known safetyevents to detect patterns. The executable code may take the form ofsoftware instructions or rule sets and is generally referred to as amodel that can subsequently be applied to event streams 69 for detectingsimilar patterns and predicting upcoming events.

Analytics service 68F may, in some example, generate separate models fora particular worker, a particular population of workers, a particularenvironment, or combinations thereof. Analytics service 68F may updatethe models based on usage data received from PPEs 62. For example,analytics service 68F may update the models for a particular worker, aparticular population of workers, a particular environment, orcombinations thereof based on data received from PPEs 62. In someexamples, usage data may include incident reports, air monitoringsystems, manufacturing production systems, or any other information thatmay be used to a train a model.

Alternatively, or in addition, analytics service 68F may communicate allor portions of the generated code and/or the machine learning models tohubs 16 (or PPEs 62) for execution thereon so as to provide localalerting in near-real time to PPEs. Example machine learning techniquesthat may be employed to generate models 74B can include various learningstyles, such as supervised learning, unsupervised learning, andsemi-supervised learning. Example types of algorithms include Bayesianalgorithms, Clustering algorithms, decision-tree algorithms,regularization algorithms, regression algorithms, instance-basedalgorithms, artificial neural network algorithms, deep learningalgorithms, dimensionality reduction algorithms and the like. Variousexamples of specific algorithms include Bayesian Linear Regression,Boosted Decision Tree Regression, and Neural Network Regression, BackPropagation Neural Networks, the Apriori algorithm, K-Means Clustering,k-Nearest Neighbour (kNN), Learning Vector Quantization (LUQ),Self-Organizing Map (SOM), Locally Weighted Learning (LWL), RidgeRegression, Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO),Elastic Net, and Least-Angle Regression (LARS), Principal ComponentAnalysis (PCA) and Principal Component Regression (PCR).

Record management and reporting service 68G processes and responds tomessages and queries received from computing devices 60 via interfacelayer 64. For example, record management and reporting service 68G mayreceive requests from client computing devices for event data related toindividual workers, populations or sample sets of workers, geographicregions of environments 8 or environments 8 as a whole, individual orgroups/types of PPEs 62. In response, record management and reportingservice 68G accesses event information based on the request. Uponretrieving the event data, record management and reporting service 68Gconstructs an output response to the client application that initiallyrequested the information. In some examples, the data may be included ina document, such as an HTML document, or the data may be encoded in aJSON format or presented by a dashboard application executing on therequesting client computing device. For instance, as further describedin this disclosure, example user interfaces that include the eventinformation are depicted in the figures.

As additional examples, record management and reporting service 68G mayreceive requests to find, analyze, and correlate PPE event information.For instance, record management and reporting service 68G may receive aquery request from a client application for event data 74A over ahistorical time frame, such as a user can view PPE event informationover a period of time and/or a computing device can analyze the PPEevent information over the period of time.

In example implementations, services 68 may also include securityservice 68H that authenticate and authorize users and requests withPPEMS 6. Specifically, security service 68H may receive authenticationrequests from client applications and/or other services 68 to accessdata in data layer 72 and/or perform processing in application layer 66.An authentication request may include credentials, such as a usernameand password. Security service 68H may query security data 74A todetermine whether the username and password combination is valid.Configuration data 74D may include security data in the form ofauthorization credentials, policies, and any other information forcontrolling access to PPEMS 6. As described above, security data 74A mayinclude authorization credentials, such as combinations of validusernames and passwords for authorized users of PPEMS 6. Othercredentials may include device identifiers or device profiles that areallowed to access PPEMS 6.

Security service 68H may provide audit and logging functionality foroperations performed at PPEMS 6. For instance, security service 68H maylog operations performed by services 68 and/or data accessed by services68 in data layer 72. Security service 68H may store audit informationsuch as logged operations, accessed data, and rule processing results inaudit data 74C. In some examples, security service 68H may generateevents in response to one or more rules being satisfied. Securityservice 68H may store data indicating the events in audit data 74C.

In the example of FIG. 2, a safety manager may initially configure oneor more safety rules. As such, remote user 24 may provide one or moreuser inputs at computing device 18 that configure a set of safety rulesfor work environment 8A and 8B. For instance, a computing device 60 ofthe safety manager may send a message that defines or specifies thesafety rules. Such message may include data to select or createconditions and actions of the safety rules. PPEMS 6 may receive themessage at interface layer 64 which forwards the message to ruleconfiguration component 68I. Rule configuration component 68I may becombination of hardware and/or software that provides for ruleconfiguration including, but not limited to: providing a user interfaceto specify conditions and actions of rules, receive, organize, store,and update rules included in safety rules data store 74E.

Safety rules data store 75E may be a data store that includes datarepresenting one or more safety rules. Safety rules data store 74E maybe any suitable data store such as a relational database system, onlineanalytical processing database, object-oriented database, or any othertype of data store. When rule configuration component 68I receives datadefining safety rules from computing device 60 of the safety manager,rule configuration component 68I may store the safety rules in safetyrules data store 75E.

In some examples, storing the safety rules may include associating asafety rule with context data, such that rule configuration component68I may perform a lookup to select safety rules associated with matchingcontext data. Context data may include any data describing orcharacterizing the properties or operation of a worker, workerenvironment, article of PPE, or any other entity. Context data of aworker may include, but is not limited to: a unique identifier of aworker, type of worker, role of worker, physiological or biometricproperties of a worker, experience of a worker, training of a worker,time worked by a worker over a particular time interval, location of theworker, or any other data that describes or characterizes a worker.Context data of an article of PPE may include, but is not limited to: aunique identifier of the article of PPE; a type of PPE of the article ofPPE; a usage time of the article of PPE over a particular time interval;a lifetime of the PPE; a component included within the article of PPE; ausage history across multiple users of the article of PPE; contaminants,hazards, or other physical conditions detected by the PPE, expirationdate of the article of PPE; operating metrics of the article of PPE.Context data for a work environment may include, but is not limited to:a location of a work environment, a boundary or perimeter of a workenvironment, an area of a work environment, hazards within a workenvironment, physical conditions of a work environment, permits for awork environment, equipment within a work environment, owner of a workenvironment, responsible supervisor and/or safety manager for a workenvironment.

Table 4, shown below, includes a non-limiting set of rules that may bestored to safety rules data store 74E:

TABLE 4 SAFETY RULES Hub shall immediately assert an “Attention Initial”Alert if Visor Position Status is OPEN in current location requiringVisor Open Allow = NO Hub shall immediately assert a “Critical Initial”Alert if Filter Type Status is not equal to Filter Type or no filterfound required by current location Hub shall store all alerts in aqueue. Critical Alerts shall be highest priority in alert queueAttention Alerts shall have secondary priority in alert queue Hub shallimmediately remove an alert from the queue if its conditions causing thealert have been corrected A newly added alert to the alert queue shallbe flagged as “Active”, if it is higher priority than any other alarmsin the queue. A newly added alert to the alert queue shall be flagged as“Active”, if all other alarms in the queue are Acknowledged or Notify Anewly added alert to the alert queue shall be flagged as “Pending” if anActive alert already exists in the queue and the newly added alert islower in priority than the currently Active alert If an Active alert inthe queue is replaced by a new Active alert because of priority, thereplaced alert shall be flagged as “Pending” An active alert shallenable its respective haptic feedback and LED pattern Hub shall assertan Acknowledge event when user presses and releases button within <3seconds. (Button Tap) Upon an Acknowledge event the Hub shallimmediately flag the currently Active alert as Acknowledged, if anyActive alerts are in the queue. An Acknowledged alert shall disable itsrespective haptic feedback and LED pattern Upon an Acknowledge event theHub shall immediately flag the highest priority Pending alert as Active,if any Pending alerts exist in the queue. Upon an Acknowledge event theHub shall immediately flag the highest priority Acknowledged alert asNotify, if no Active alerts or Pending exist in the queue. A Notifyalert shall disable its respective haptic feedback and enable its LEDpattern Immediate Cloud Updates - Hub shall send safety violationasserted message via Wi-Fi to cloud service immediately upon assertionof alert Immediate Worker Interface Updates - Hub shall send safety ruleviolation alerts asserted message via BLE to Worker Interfaceimmediately upon assertion of alert Immediate Cloud Updates - Hub shallsend safety violation deasserted message via Wi-Fi to cloud serviceimmediately upon deassertion of alert Immediate Worker InterfaceUpdates - Hub shall send safety violation deasserted message via BLE toWorker Interface immediately upon deassertion of alertIt should be understood that the examples of Table 4 are provided forpurposes of illustration only, and that other rules may be developed.

According to aspects of this disclosure, the rules may be used forpurposes of reporting, to generate alerts, or the like. In an examplefor purposes of illustration, worker 10A may be equipped with respirator13A and data hub 14A. Respirator 13A may include a filter to removeparticulates but not organic vapors. Data hub 14A may be initiallyconfigured with and store a unique identifier of worker 10A. Wheninitially assigning the respirator 13A and data hub to worker 10A, acomputing device operated by worker 10A and/or a safety manager maycause RMRS 68G to store a mapping in work relation data 74F. Workrelation data 74F may include mappings between data that corresponds toPPE, workers, and work environments. Work relation data 74F may be anysuitable datastore for storing, retrieving, updating and deleting data.RMRS 69G may store a mapping between the unique identifier of worker 10Aand a unique device identifier of data hub 14A. Work relation data store74F may also map a worker to an environment. In the example of FIG. 4,self-check component 68I may receive or otherwise determine data fromwork relation data 74F for data hub 14A, worker 10A, and/or PPEassociated with or assigned to worker 10A.

Worker 10A may initially put on respirator 13A and data hub 14A prior toentering environment 8A. As worker 10A approaches environment 8A and/orhas entered environment 8A, data hub 14A may determine that worker 10Ais within a threshold distance of entering environment 8A or has enteredenvironment 8A. Data hub 14A may determine that it is within a thresholddistance of entering environment 8A or has entered environment 8A andsend a message that includes context data to PPEMS 6 that indicates datahub 14A is within a threshold distance of entering environment 8A.

According to aspects of this disclosure, as noted above, PPEMS 6 mayadditionally or alternatively apply analytics to predict the likelihoodof a safety event. As noted above, a safety event may refer toactivities of a worker 10 using PPE 62, a condition of PPE 62, or ahazardous environmental condition (e.g., that the likelihood of a safetyevent is relatively high, that the environment is dangerous, that SRL 11is malfunctioning, that one or more components of SRL 11 need to berepaired or replaced, or the like). For example, PPEMS 6 may determinethe likelihood of a safety event based on application of usage data fromPPE 62 to historical data and models 74B. That is, PEMS 6 may applyhistorical data and models 74B to usage data from respirators 13 inorder to compute assertions, such as anomalies or predicted occurrencesof imminent safety events based on environmental conditions or behaviorpatterns of a worker using a respirator 13.

PPEMS 6 may apply analytics to identify relationships or correlationsbetween sensed data from respirators 13, environmental conditions ofenvironment in which respirators 13 are located, a geographic region inwhich respirators 13 are located, and/or other factors. PPEMS 6 maydetermine, based on the data acquired across populations of workers 10,which particular activities, possibly within certain environment orgeographic region, lead to, or are predicted to lead to, unusually highoccurrences of safety events. PPEMS 6 may generate alert data based onthe analysis of the usage data and transmit the alert data to PPEs 62and/or hubs 14. Hence, according to aspects of this disclosure, PPEMS 6may determine usage data of respirator 13, generate status indications,determine performance analytics, and/or perform prospective/preemptiveactions based on a likelihood of a safety event.

For example, according to aspects of this disclosure, usage data fromrespirators 13 may be used to determine usage statistics. For example,PPEMS 6 may determine, based on usage data from respirators 13, a lengthof time that one or more components of respirator 13 (e.g., head top,blower, and/or filter) have been in use, an instantaneous velocity oracceleration of worker 10 (e.g., based on an accelerometer included inrespirators 13 or hubs 14), a temperature of one or more components ofrespirator 13 and/or worker 10, a location of worker 10, a number oftimes or frequency with which a worker 10 has performed a self-check ofrespirator 13 or other PPE, a number of times or frequency with which avisor of respirator 13 has been opened or closed, a filter/cartridgeconsumption rate, fan/blower usage (e.g., time in use, speed, or thelike), battery usage (e.g., charge cycles), or the like.

According to aspects of this disclosure, PPEMS 6 may use the usage datato characterize activity of worker 10. For example, PPEMS 6 mayestablish patterns of productive and nonproductive time (e.g., based onoperation of respirator 13 and/or movement of worker 10), categorizeworker movements, identify key motions, and/or infer occurrence of keyevents. That is, PPEMS 6 may obtain the usage data, analyze the usagedata using services 68 (e.g., by comparing the usage data to data fromknown activities/events), and generate an output based on the analysis.

In some examples, the usage statistics may be used to determine whenrespirator 13 is in need of maintenance or replacement. For example,PPEMS 6 may compare the usage data to data indicative of normallyoperating respirators 13 in order to identify defects or anomalies. Inother examples, PPEMS 6 may also compare the usage data to dataindicative of a known service life statistics of respirators 13. Theusage statistics may also be used to provide an understanding howrespirators 13 are used by workers 10 to product developers in order toimprove product designs and performance. In still other examples, theusage statistics may be used to gathering human performance metadata todevelop product specifications. In still other examples, the usagestatistics may be used as a competitive benchmarking tool. For example,usage data may be compared between customers of respirators 13 toevaluate metrics (e.g. productivity, compliance, or the like) betweenentire populations of workers outfitted with respirators 13.

Additionally or alternatively, according to aspects of this disclosure,usage data from respirators 13 may be used to determine statusindications. For example, PPEMS 6 may determine that a visor of arespirator 13 is up in hazardous work area. PPEMS 6 may also determinethat a worker 10 is fitted with improper equipment (e.g., an improperfilter for a specified area), or that a worker 10 is present in arestricted/closed area. PPEMS 6 may also determine whether workertemperature exceeds a threshold, e.g., in order to prevent heat stress.PPEMS 6 may also determine when a worker 10 has experienced an impact,such as a fall.

Additionally or alternatively, according to aspects of this disclosure,usage data from respirators 13 may be used to assess performance ofworker 10 wearing respirator 13. For example, PPEMS 6 may, based onusage data from respirators 13, recognize motion that may indicate apending fall by worker 10 (e.g., via one or more accelerometers includedin respirators 13 and/or hubs 14). In some instances, PPEMS 6 may, basedon usage data from respirators 13, infer that a fall has occurred orthat worker 10 is incapacitated. PPEMS 6 may also perform fall dataanalysis after a fall has occurred and/or determine temperature,humidity and other environmental conditions as they relate to thelikelihood of safety events.

As another example, PPEMS 6 may, based on usage data from respirators13, recognize motion that may indicate fatigue or impairment of worker10. For example, PPEMS 6 may apply usage data from respirators 13 to asafety learning model that characterizes a motion of a user of at leastone respirator. In this example, PPEMS 6 may determine that the motionof a worker 10 over a time period is anomalous for the worker 10 or apopulation of workers 10 using respirators 13.

Additionally or alternatively, according to aspects of this disclosure,usage data from respirators 13 may be used to determine alerts and/oractively control operation of respirators 13. For example, PPEMS 6 maydetermine that a safety event such as equipment failure, a fall, or thelike is imminent. PPEMS 6 may send data to respirators 13 to change anoperating condition of respirators 13. In an example for purposes ofillustration, PPEMS 6 may apply usage data to a safety learning modelthat characterizes an expenditure of a filter of one of respirators 13.In this example, PPEMS 6 may determine that the expenditure is higherthan an expected expenditure for an environment, e.g., based onconditions sensed in the environment, usage data gathered from otherworkers 10 in the environment, or the like. PPEMS 6 may generate andtransmit an alert to worker 10 that indicates that worker 10 shouldleave the environment and/or active control of respirator 13. Forexample, PPEMS 6 may cause respirator to reduce a blower speed of ablower of respirator 13 in order to provide worker 10 with substantialtime to exit the environment.

PPEMS 6 may generate, in some examples, a warning when worker 10 is neara hazard in one of environments 8 (e.g., based on location data gatheredfrom a location sensor (GPS or the like) of respirators 13). PPEMS 6 mayalso applying usage data to a safety learning model that characterizes atemperature of worker 10. In this example, PPEMS 6 may determine thatthe temperature exceeds a temperature associated with safe activity overthe time period and alert worker 10 to the potential for a safety eventdue to the temperature.

In another example, PPEMS 6 may schedule preventative maintenance orautomatically purchase components for respirators 13 based on usagedata. For example, PPEMS 6 may determine a number of hours a blower of arespirator 13 has been in operation, and schedule preventativemaintenance of the blower based on such data. PPEMS 6 may automaticallyorder a filter for respirator 13 based on historical and/or currentusage data from the filter.

Again, PPEMS 6 may determine the above-described performancecharacteristics and/or generate the alert data based on application ofthe usage data to one or more safety learning models that characterizesactivity of a user of one of respirators 13. The safety learning modelsmay be trained based on historical data or known safety events. However,while the determinations are described with respect to PPEMS 6, asdescribed in greater detail herein, one or more other computing devices,such as hubs 14 or respirators 13 may be configured to perform all or asubset of such functionality.

In some examples, a safety learning model is trained using supervisedand/or reinforcement learning techniques. The safety learning model maybe implemented using any number of models for supervised and/orreinforcement learning, such as but not limited to, an artificial neuralnetworks, a decision tree, naïve Bayes network, support vector machine,or k-nearest neighbor model, to name only a few examples. In someexamples, PPEMS 6 initially trains the safety learning model based on atraining set of metrics and corresponding to safety events. The trainingset may include a set of feature vectors, where each feature in thefeature vector represents a value for a particular metric. As furtherexample description, PPEMS 6 may select a training set comprising a setof training instances, each training instance comprising an associationbetween usage data and a safety event. The usage data may comprise oneor more metrics that characterize at least one of a user, a workenvironment, or one or more articles of PPE. PPEMS 6 may, for eachtraining instance in the training set, modify, based on particular usagedata and a particular safety event of the training instance, the safetylearning model to change a likelihood predicted by the safety learningmodel for the particular safety event in response to subsequent usagedata applied to the safety learning model. In some examples, thetraining instances may be based on real-time or periodic data generatedwhile PPEMS 6 managing data for one or more articles of PPE, workers,and/or work environments. As such, one or more training instances of theset of training instances may be generated from use of one or morearticles of PPE after PPEMS 6 performs operations relating to thedetection or prediction of a safety event for PPE, workers, and/or workenvironments that are currently in use, active, or in operation.

Some example metrics may include any characteristics or data describedin this disclosure that relate to PPE, a worker, or a work environment,to name only a few examples. For instance, example metrics may includebut are not limited to: worker identity, worker motion, worker location,worker age, worker experience, worker physiological parameters (e.g.,heart rate, temperature, blood oxygen level, chemical compositions inblood, or any other measureable physiological parameter), or any otherdata descriptive of a worker or worker behavior. Example metrics mayinclude but are not limited to: PPE type, PPE usage, PPE age, PPEoperations, or any other data descriptive of PPE or PPE use. Examplemetrics may include but are not limited to: work environment type, workenvironment location, work environment temperature, work environmenthazards, work environment size, or any other data descriptive of a workenvironment.

Each feature vector may also have a corresponding safety event. Asdescribed in this disclosure, a safety event may include but is notlimited to: activities of a user of personal protective equipment (PPE),a condition of the PPE, or a hazardous environmental condition to nameonly a few examples. By training a safety learning model based on thetraining set, a safety learning model may be configured by PPEMS 6 to,when applying a particular feature vector to the safety learning model,generate higher probabilities or scores for safety events thatcorrespond to training feature vectors that are more similar to theparticular feature set. In the same way, the safety learning model maybe configured by PPEMS 6 to, when applying a particular feature vectorto the safety learning model, generate lower probabilities or scores forsafety events that correspond to training feature vectors that are lesssimilar to the particular feature set. Accordingly, the safety learningmodel may be trained, such that upon receiving a feature vector ofmetrics, the safety learning model may output one or more probabilitiesor scores that indicate likelihoods of safety events based on thefeature vector. As such, PPEMS 6 may select likelihood of the occurrenceas a highest likelihood of occurrence of a safety event in the set oflikelihoods of safety events.

In some instances, PPEMS 6 may apply analytics for combinations of PPE.For example, PPEMS 6 may draw correlations between users of respirators13 and/or the other PPE (such as fall protection equipment, headprotection equipment, hearing protection equipment, or the like) that isused with respirators 13. That is, in some instances, PPEMS 6 maydetermine the likelihood of a safety event based not only on usage datafrom respirators 13, but also from usage data from other PPE being usedwith respirators 13. In such instances, PPEMS 6 may include one or moresafety learning models that are constructed from data of known safetyevents from one or more devices other than respirators 13 that are inuse with respirators 13.

In some examples, a safety learning model is based on safety events fromone or more of a worker, article of PPE, and/or work environment havingsimilar characteristics (e.g., of a same type). In some examples the“same type” may refer to identical but separate instances of PPE. Inother examples the “same type” may not refer to identical instances ofPPE. For instance, although not identical, a same type may refer to PPEin a same class or category of PPE, same model of PPE, or same set ofone or more shared functional or physical characteristics, to name onlya few examples. Similarly, a same type of work environment or worker mayrefer to identical but separate instances of work environment types orworker types. In other examples, although not identical, a same type mayrefer to a worker or work environment in a same class or category ofworker or work environment or same set of one or more shared behavioral,physiological, environmental characteristics, to name only a fewexamples.

In some examples, to apply the usage data to a model, PPEMS 6 maygenerate a structure, such as a feature vector, in which the usage datais stored. The feature vector may include a set of values thatcorrespond to metrics (e.g., characterizing PPE, worker, workenvironment, to name a few examples), where the set of values areincluded in the usage data. The model may receive the feature vector asinput, and based on one or more relations defined by the model (e.g.,probabilistic, deterministic or other functions within the knowledge ofone of ordinary skill in the art) that has been trained, the model mayoutput one or more probabilities or scores that indicate likelihoods ofsafety events based on the feature vector.

In general, while certain techniques or functions are described hereinas being performed by certain components, e.g., PPEMS 6, respirators 13,or hubs 14, it should be understood that the techniques of thisdisclosure are not limited in this way. That is, certain techniquesdescribed herein may be performed by one or more of the components ofthe described systems. For example, in some instances, respirators 13may have a relatively limited sensor set and/or processing power. Insuch instances, one of hubs 14 and/or PPEMS 6 may be responsible formost or all of the processing of usage data, determining the likelihoodof a safety event, and the like. In other examples, respirators 13and/or hubs 14 may have additional sensors, additional processing power,and/or additional memory, allowing for respirators 13 and/or hubs 14 toperform additional techniques. Determinations regarding which componentsare responsible for performing techniques may be based, for example, onprocessing costs, financial costs, power consumption, or the like.

FIG. 3 is a system diagram of an exposure indicating filtered airrespirator system 100, which may also be referred to as a supplied airsystem generally. System 100 represents one example of respirators 13shown in FIG. 2. System 100 includes head top 110, clean air supplysource 120, communication hub 130, environmental beacon 140 and PPEMS150. Head top 110 is connected to clean air supply source 120 by hose119. Clean air supply source 120 can be any type of air supply source,such as a blower assembly for a powered air purifying respirator (PAPR),an air tank for a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) or any otherdevice that provides air to head top 110. In FIG. 3, clean air supplysource 120 is a blower assembly for a PAPR. A PAPR is commonly used byindividuals working in areas where there is known to be, or there is apotential of there being dusts, fumes or gases that are potentiallyharmful or hazardous to health. A PAPR typically includes blowerassembly, including a fan driven by an electric motor for delivering aforced flow of air to the respirator user. The air is passed from thePAPR blower assembly through hose 119 to the interior of head top 110.

Head top 110 includes a visor 112 that is sized to fit over at least auser's nose and mouth. Visor 112 includes lens 116 which is secured tohelmet 118 by the frame assembly 114. Head top also includes a positionsensor 111 that senses the position of visor 112 relative to helmet 118to determine if the visor is in an open position or in a closedposition. In some instances, position sensor 111 may detect whethervisor 112 is partially open, and if so, what measure (e.g., percent ordegree) it is open. As an example, the position sensor 110 may be agyroscope that computes angular yaw, pitch, and/or roll (in degrees orradians) of the visor 112 relative to the helmet 118. In anotherexample, the position sensor 110 may be a magnet. A percent may beestimated respecting how open a visor 112 is in relation to the helmet118 by determining the magnetic field strength or flux perceived by theposition sensor 110. “Partially open” visor information can be used todenote that the user may be receiving eye and face protection forhazards while still receiving a reasonable amount of respiratoryprotection. This “partially open” visor state, if kept to shortdurations, can assist the user in face to face communications with otherworkers. Position sensor 111 can be a variety of types of sensors, forexample, an accelerometer, gyro, magnet, switch, potentiometer, digitalpositioning sensor or air pressure sensor. Position sensor 111 can alsobe a combination of any of the sensors listed above, or any other typesof sensors that can be used to detected the position of the visor 112relative to the helmet 118. Head top 110 may be supported on a user'shead by a suspension (not shown).

Head top 110 may include other types of sensors. For example, head top110 may include temperature sensor 113 that detects the ambienttemperature in the interior of head top 110. Head top 110 may includeother sensors such as an infrared head detection sensor positioned nearthe suspension of head top 110 to detect the presence of a head in headtop 110, or in other words, to detect whether head top 110 is being wornat any given point in time. Head top 110 may also include otherelectronic components, such as a communication module, a power source,such as a battery, and a processing component. A communication modulemay include a variety of communication capabilities, such as radiofrequency identification (RFID), Bluetooth, including any generations ofBluetooth, such as Bluetooth low energy (BLE), any type of wirelesscommunication, such as WiFi, Zigbee, radio frequency or other types ofcommunication methods as will be apparent to one of skill in the art upone reading the present disclosure.

Communication module in head top 110 can electronically interface withsensors, such as position sensor 111 or temperature sensor 113, suchthat it can transmit information from position sensor 111 or temperaturesensor 113 to other electronic devices, including communication hub 130.Communications hub 130 illustrates one example of hubs 14 shown in FIG.2. Communication hub 130 includes a processor, a communication moduleand a power supply. The communication module of communication hub 130can include any desired communication capability, such as: RFID,Bluetooth, including any generations of Bluetooth technology, and WiFicommunication capabilities. Communication hub 130 can also include anytype of wireless communication capabilities, such as radio frequency orZigbee communication.

Communication hub 130 includes electronics module 132 that has a powersource, such as a battery, to provide power to both the processor andcommunication module. A rechargeable battery, such as a Lithium Ionbattery, can provide a compact and long-life source of power.Communication hub 130 may be adapted to have electrical contacts exposedor accessible from the exterior of the hub to allow recharging thecommunication hub 130.

Communication hub 130 can include a processor that can receive, storeand process information. For example, communication module incommunication hub 130 may receive information from a communicationmodule in head top 110 or directly from the position sensor 111indicating the position of visor 112, whether visor 112 is open orclosed, and at what time the visor 112 position changed. Any informationcollected by sensors and transmitted to or from communication hub 130can be time stamped based on the time of an event that was sensed ordetected, based on the time of transmission of information, or both.

One or more processors in communication hub 130 can store thisinformation and compare it with other information received. Otherinformation received may include, for example, information fromenvironmental beacon 140 and information from PPEMS 150. Communicationhub 130 can further store rules, such as threshold information both fora length of time visor 112 is allowed to be in an open position beforean alert is generated, and the level or type of contaminants that willtrigger an alert. For example, when communication hub 130 receivesinformation from environmental beacon 140 that there are no hazardspresent in the environment, the threshold for the visor 112 being in theopen position may be infinite. If a hazard is present in theenvironment, then the threshold would be determined based upon theconcern of the threat to the user. Radiation, dangerous gases, or toxicfumes would all require assignment of the threshold to be on the orderof one second or less.

Thresholds for head top temperature can be used to predict heat relatedillness and more frequent hydration and/or rest periods can berecommended to the user. Thresholds can be used for predicted batteryrun time. As the battery nears selectable remaining run time, the usercan be notified/warned to complete their current task and seek a freshbattery. When a threshold is exceeded for a specific environmentalhazard, an urgent alert can be given to the user to evacuate theimmediate area. Thresholds can be customized to various levels ofopenness for the visor. In other words, a threshold for the amount of atime the visor may be open without triggering an alarm may be longer ifthe visor is in the partially open position as compared to the openposition.

A user's individual state of health could be a factor for adjusting thethreshold. If a user is in a situation where donning or doffing couldtake a long time, battery notification threshold could be adjusted toallow for time to don and doff PPE.

Reaching different thresholds may result in triggering different typesof alerts or alarms. For example, alarms may be informational (notrequiring a user response), urgent (repeated and requiring a response oracknowledgement from a user), or emergency (requiring immediate actionfrom a user.) The type of alert or alarm can be tailored to theenvironment. Different types of alerts and alarms can be coupledtogether to get user attention. In some instances, a user may be able to“snooze” an alert or alarm.

Communication hub 130 may include a user interface, such as a display,lights, buttons, keys (such as arrow or other indicator keys), and maybe able to provide alerts to the user in a variety of ways, such as bysounding an alarm or vibrating. The user interface can be used for avariety of functions. For example, a user may be able to acknowledge orsnooze an alert through the user interface. The user interface may alsobe used to control settings for the head top and/or turbo peripheralsthat are not immediately within the reach of the user. For example, theturbo may be worn on the lower back where the wearer cannot access thecontrols without significant difficulty.

Communication hub 130 can be portable such that it can be carried orworn by a user. Communication hub 130 can also be personal, such that itis used by an individual and communicates with personal protectiveequipment (PPE) assigned to that individual. In FIG. 3, communicationhub 130 is secured to a user using a strap 134. However, communicationhub may be carried by a user or secured to a user in other ways, such asbeing secured to PPE being worn by the user, to other garments beingworn to a user, being attached to a belt, band, buckle, clip or otherattachment mechanism as will be apparent to one of skill in the art uponreading the present disclosure.

Environmental beacon 140 includes at least environmental sensor 142which detects the presence of a hazard and communication module 144.Environmental sensor 142 may detect a variety of types of informationabout the area surrounding environmental beacon 140. For example,environmental sensor 142 may be a thermometer detecting temperature, abarometer detecting pressure, an accelerometer detecting movement orchange in position, an air contaminant sensor for detecting potentialharmful gases like carbon monoxide, or for detecting air-borncontaminants or particulates such as smoke, soot, dust, mold,pesticides, solvents (e.g., isocyanates, ammonia, bleach, etc.), andvolatile organic compounds (e.g., acetone, glycol ethers, benzene,methylene chloride, etc.). Environmental sensor 142 may detect, forexample any common gasses detected by a four gas sensor, including: CO,O2, HS and Low Exposure Limit. In some instances, environmental sensor142 may determine the presence of a hazard when a contaminant levelexceeds a designated hazard threshold. In some instances, the designatedhazard threshold is configurable by the user or operator of the system.In some instances, the designated hazard threshold is stored on at leastone of the environmental sensor and the personal communication hub. Insome instances, the designated hazard threshold is stored on PPEMS 150and can be sent to communication hub 130 or environmental beacon 140 andstored locally on communication hub 130 or environmental beacon 140. Insome examples, PPEMS 150 may be an example of PPEMS 6 of thisdisclosure.

Environmental beacon communication module 144 is electronicallyconnected to environmental sensor 142 to receive information fromenvironmental sensor 142. Communication module 144 may include a varietyof communication capabilities, such as: RFID, Bluetooth, including anygenerations of Bluetooth technology, and WiFi communicationcapabilities. Communication hub 130 can also include any type ofwireless communication capabilities, such as radio frequency or Zigbeecommunication.

In some instances, environmental beacon 140 may store hazard informationbased on the location of environmental beacon 140. For example, ifenvironmental beacon 140 is in an environment known to have physicalhazards, such as the potential of flying objects, environmental beacon140 may store such information and communicate the presence of a hazardbased on the location of environmental beacon 140. In other instances,the signal indicating the presence of a hazard may be generated byenvironmental beacon 140 based on detection of a hazard by environmentalsensor 142.

The system may also have an exposure threshold. An exposure thresholdcan be stored on any combination of PPEMS 150, communication hub 130,environmental beacon 140, and head top 110. A designated exposurethreshold is the time threshold during which a visor 112 can be in theopen position before an alert is generated. In other words, if the visoris in the open position for a period of time exceeding a designatedexposure threshold, an alert may be generated. The designated exposurethreshold may be configurable by a user or operator of the system. Thedesignated exposure threshold may depend on personal factors related tothe individual's health, age, or other demographic information, on thetype of environment the user is in, and on the danger of the exposure tothe hazard.

An alert can be generated in a variety of scenarios and in a variety ofways. For example, the alert may be generated by the communication hub130 based on information received from head top 110 and environmentalsensor 140. An alert may be in the form of an electronic signaltransmitted to PPEMS 150 or to any other component of system 100. Analert may comprise one or more of the following types of signals:tactile, vibration, audible, visual, heads-up display or radio frequencysignal.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of electronic components in an exposureindicating filtered air respirator system 200. Filtered air respiratorsystem 200 communicates electronically with environmental beacon 240 andPPEMS 250 using any type of wireless communication mode, such as RFID,Bluetooth, including any generations of Bluetooth technology, and WiFicommunication capabilities, radio frequency or Zigbee communication. Insome examples, PPEMS 250 may be an example of PPEMS 6 of thisdisclosure. Environmental beacon 240 and PPEMS 250 may communicatewirelessly or through wired connection.

Filtered air respirator system 200 includes head top 210, communicationhub 230 and clean air supply source 220. Head top 210 includes severalelectronic components, such as position sensor 211, head detectionsensor 212, temperature sensor 213, and communication module 214. Whilethese are exemplary electronic components in head top 210, head top 210may contain additional electronic components such as a processor toreceive, store and process information from each of position sensor 211,head detection sensor 212, and temperature sensor 213, along withinformation received by communication module 214 from other devices. Aprocessor may also control some or all of the sensors and communicationmodule in head top 210. Other types of components, such as a battery orother power source and other types of sensors may also be included inhead top 210.

Communication hub 230 communicates electronically with each of head top210 and clean air supply source 220. Communication hub 230 can includeany desired communication capability, such as: RFID, Bluetooth,including any generations of Bluetooth technology, and WiFicommunication capabilities. Communication hub 230 can also include anytype of wireless communication capabilities, such as radio frequency orZigbee communication. Communication hub 230 may also communicateelectronically with environmental beacon 240 and PPEMS 250.

Clean air supply source 220 includes a motor and fan assembly thatprovides a pressurized source of air to head top 210. Additionally,clean air supply source includes a processor 224 and a communicationmodule 222. Processor 224 may interface with other components withinclean air supply source 220. For example, processor 224 may interfacewith the battery or power source for clean air supply source 220 todetermine how much battery life remains for the particular battery atany given point in time. Processor 224 may also communicate with themotor controlling fan speed, to determine how much air is being forcedthrough the filter in clean air supply source 220, and thereforeestimate remaining filter life. Data from the position sensor 211 mayalso be collected by the processor 224 to determine the measure that avisor is open or closed and/or the frequency that the visor changesstatus. Head detection sensor 212 and temperature sensor 213 data mayalso be transmitted to the processor 224 for additional analysis. In oneexample, if the head detection sensor 212 does not detect a head nordoes the temperature sensor 213 indicate a rise in temperature and theposition sensor 211 is open, then an alert will not be generated,transmitted, or stored. Processor 224 in clean air supply source 220 maytrack information such as flow rate, pressure drop across the filter,filter presence/identification on filter, battery run time, blower runtime, filter run time, and whether the head top is a loose or tightfitting head top. Communication module 222 is in electricalcommunication with processor 224. Communication module 222 may includeany desired communication capability, such as: RFID, Bluetooth,including any generations of Bluetooth technology, and WiFicommunication capabilities. Communication module 222 can also includeany type of wireless communication capabilities, such as radio frequencyor Zigbee communication. Communication module can communicate wirelesswith communication hub 230. In some instances, communication module maycommunicate with other devices, such as environmental beacon 240 andPPEMS 250.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart 300 associated with determining exposure, andindicating exposure to a user. While the steps shown in FIG. 5 areexemplary operations associated with the present disclosure, variationson the order of the steps, and additional steps, will be apparent to oneof skill in the art upon reading the present disclosure.

Initially, a headtop may be provided to a user (310). A head top caninclude a visor that is sized to fit over at least user's nose andmouth, a position sensor, and a head top communication module. Variousembodiments of head tops are described herein. In some instances,additional pieces of PPE or other devices may be provided, such as aclean air supply source, a personal communication hub, or any otherdesired component.

A computing device, (e.g., in a data hub, PPE, or remote computingdevice) may detect if the visor is in an open position (320). The visorposition is detected by a position sensor in the head top. If the visoris in a closed position (or is not in an open position), the operationof 320 is repeated. If the visor is in an open position, the computingdevice then queries whether a hazard is present (330). A hazard may bedetected in a variety of ways, as described herein.

If a hazard is not detected, the computing device returns to operationto query whether the visor is open. If a hazard is detected in step 330,an alert is generated (340). A variety of types of alerts may begenerated. For example, an alert may comprise one or more of thefollowing types of signals: tactile, vibration, audible, visual,heads-up display or radio frequency signal. In some instances, an alertis not generated unless an exposure threshold and/or a hazard thresholdis first met. Other variations of the steps shown are within the scopeof the present disclosure. For example, in some instances the presenceof the hazard is detected by an environmental sensor. In some instances,the environmental sensor determines the presence of a hazard when acontaminant level exceeds a designated hazard threshold.

In some instances, the alert is generated after the visor has been in anopen position for a period of time exceeding a designated exposurethreshold. In some instances, the head top further comprises a headdetection sensor, and wherein the alert is only generated if the headdetection sensor detects that the head top is being worn by the user. Insome instances the system also detects if the visor is in a partiallyopen position. In some instances, the head top further comprises atemperature sensor, wherein the temperature sensor detects thetemperature in the interior of the head top.

FIG. 6 is an exposure-indicating head top system 400 that includes ahead top 410 with a visor 412 that is sized to fit over at least auser's nose and mouth. System 400 represents one example of respirators13 shown in FIG. 2. Visor 412 includes lens 416 which is secured tohelmet 418 by the frame assembly 414. Head top also includes a positionsensor 411 that senses the position of visor 412 relative to helmet 418to determine if the visor is in an open position or in a closedposition. In some instances, position sensor 411 may detect whethervisor 412 is partially open, and if so, what measure (e.g., percent ordegree) it is open. As an example, the position sensor 110 may be agyroscope that computes angular yaw, pitch, and/or roll (in degrees orradians) of the visor 112 relative to the helmet 118. In anotherexample, the position sensor 110 may be a magnet. A percent may beestimated respecting how open a visor 112 is in relation to the helmet118 by determining the magnetic field strength or flux perceived by theposition sensor 110. Position sensor 411 can be a variety of types ofsensors, for example, an accelerometer, gyro, magnet, switch or airpressure sensor. Position sensor 411 can also be a combination of any ofthe sensors listed above, or any other types of sensors that can be usedto detected the position of the visor 412 relative to the helmet 418.Head top 410 may be supported on a user's head by a suspension (notshown).

Head top 410 may include other types of sensors. For example, head top410 may include temperature sensor 413 that detects the ambienttemperature in the interior of head top 410. Head top 410 may includeother sensors such as an infrared head detection sensor positioned nearthe suspension of head top 410 to detected the presence of a head inhead top 410, or in other words, to detect whether head top 410 is beingworn at any given point in time. Head top 410 may also include otherelectronic components, such as a communication module 417, a powersource, such as a battery, and a processing component. A communicationmodule may include a variety of communication capabilities, such asradio frequency identification (RFID), Bluetooth, including anygenerations of Bluetooth, such as Bluetooth low energy (BLE), any typeof wireless communication, such as WiFi, Zigbee, radio frequency orother types of communication methods as will be apparent to one of skillin the art up one reading the present disclosure.

Communication module can electronically interface with sensors, such asposition sensor 411 or temperature sensor 413, such that it can transmitinformation from position sensor 411 or temperature sensor 413 to otherelectronic devices, including communication hub 430. Communication hub430 may include a user interface, such as a display, lights, buttons,keys (such as arrow or other indicator keys), and may be able to providealerts to the user in a variety of ways, such as by sounding an alarm orvibrating. A user can set up WiFi parameters for the hub. The userinterface includes, for example, a button, LED's and vibration ability.

Communication hub 430 can be portable such that it can be carried orworn by a user. Communication hub 430 can also be personal, such that itis used by an individual and communicates with personal protectiveequipment (PPE) assigned to that individual. In FIG. 6, communicationhub 430 is secured to a user using a strap 434. However, communicationhub may be carried by a user or secured to a user in other ways, such asbeing secured to PPE being worn by the user, to other garments beingworn to a user, being attached to a belt, band, buckle, clip or otherattachment mechanism as will be apparent to one of skill in the art uponreading the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is an integrated exposure indicating head top and communicationhub system 500. System 500 represents one example of respirators 13shown in FIG. 2. The system 500 includes a head top 510. Head top 510includes at least a visor 512 that is sized to fit over at least theuser's nose and mouth. Head top 510 further includes a position sensor511 that detects whether the visor is in a closed position or in an openposition. Head top 510 also includes communication module 517. Ifcommunication modules 517 receives a signal indicating the presence of ahazard, and if the visor 512 is in an open position, an alert asgenerated.

Communication module 517 may include a variety of communicationcapabilities, such as radio frequency identification (RFID), Bluetooth,including any generations of Bluetooth, such as Bluetooth low energy(BLE), any type of wireless communication, such as WiFi, Zigbee, radiofrequency or other types of communication methods as will be apparent toone of skill in the art up one reading the present disclosure.Communication module 517 may receive a signal indicating the presence ofa hazard from a variety of other devices, such as an environmentalbeacon, a database or another communication device, such as acommunication hub as described herein.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exposure-indicating filtered air respiratorsystem, in accordance with this disclosure. A head top 110 of a 3M™Versaflo™ Heavy Industry PAPR Kit TR-300-HIK obtained from 3M Company ofSt. Paul, Minn. was modified to include a position sensor 111 betweenthe visor 112 and helmet 118. The position sensor 110 was a LIS3MDLmagnetometer obtained from ST Microelectronics. A communication hub 130as described herein was wirelessly connected via Bluetooth to aprocessor within the head top that monitored the position sensor 111. Abeacon 140 (Kontakt.io Smart Beach Two) obtained from Kontakt.io wasprogrammed with a geographical location using global positioning system(GPS) coordinates and a radiation hazardous environmental condition. Thevisor 112 of the head top 110 was initially closed. The communicationhub 130 wirelessly contacted the beacon 140 and determined that the headtop was located in hazardous environment based upon the GPS location andradiation hazard status. The visor 112 was then opened and an alert wasgenerated and was indicated with flashing light emitting diodes (LEDS)on the communication hub 130.

FIG. 8 illustrates components of communication hub 130 includingprocessor 800, communication unit 802, storage device 804,user-interface (UI) device 806, sensors 808, usage data 810, safetyrules 812, rule engine 814, alert data 816, and alert engine 818. Asnoted above, communication hub 130 represents one example of hubs 14shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 8 illustrates only one particular example ofcommunication hub 130, as shown in FIG. 8. Many other examples ofcommunication hub 130 may be used in other instances and may include asubset of the components included in example communication hub 130 ormay include additional components not shown example communication hub130 in FIG. 8.

In some examples, communication hub 130 may be an intrinsically safecomputing device, smartphone, wrist- or head-wearable computing device,or any other computing device that may include a set, subset, orsuperset of functionality or components as shown in communication hub130. Communication channels may interconnect each of the components incommunication hub 130 for inter-component communications (physically,communicatively, and/or operatively). In some examples, communicationchannels may include a hardware bus, a network connection, one or moreinter-process communication data structures, or any other components forcommunicating data between hardware and/or software.

Communication hub 130 may also include a power source, such as abattery, to provide power to components shown in communication hub 130.A rechargeable battery, such as a Lithium Ion battery, can provide acompact and long-life source of power. Communication hub 130 may beadapted to have electrical contacts exposed or accessible from theexterior of the hub to allow recharging the communication hub 130. Asnoted above, communication hub 130 may be portable such that it can becarried or worn by a user. Communication hub 130 can also be personal,such that it is used by an individual and communicates with personalprotective equipment (PPE) assigned to that individual. In FIG. 8,communication hub 130 is secured to a user using a strap 134. However,communication hub may be carried by a user or secured to a user in otherways, such as being secured to PPE being worn by the user, to othergarments being worn to a user, being attached to a belt, band, buckle,clip or other attachment mechanism as will be apparent to one of skillin the art upon reading the present disclosure.

One or more processors 800 may implement functionality and/or executeinstructions within communication hub 130. For example, processor 800may receive and execute instructions stored by storage device 804. Theseinstructions executed by processor 800 may cause communication hub 130to store and/or modify information, within storage devices 804 duringprogram execution. Processors 800 may execute instructions ofcomponents, such as rule engine 814 and alert engine 818 to perform oneor more operations in accordance with techniques of this disclosure.That is, rule engine 814 and alert engine 818 may be operable byprocessor 800 to perform various functions described herein.

One or more communication units 802 of communication hub 130 maycommunicate with external devices by transmitting and/or receiving data.For example, communication hub 130 may use communication units 802 totransmit and/or receive radio signals on a radio network such as acellular radio network. In some examples, communication units 802 maytransmit and/or receive satellite signals on a satellite network such asa Global Positioning System (GPS) network. Examples of communicationunits 802 include a network interface card (e.g. such as an Ethernetcard), an optical transceiver, a radio frequency transceiver, a GPSreceiver, or any other type of device that can send and/or receiveinformation. Other examples of communication units 802 may includeBluetooth®, GPS, 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi® radios found in mobile devices aswell as Universal Serial Bus (USB) controllers and the like.

One or more storage devices 804 within communication hub 130 may storeinformation for processing during operation of communication hub 130. Insome examples, storage device 804 is a temporary memory, meaning that aprimary purpose of storage device 804 is not long-term storage. Storagedevice 804 may be configured for short-term storage of information asvolatile memory and therefore not retain stored contents if deactivated.Examples of volatile memories include random access memories (RAM),dynamic random access memories (DRAM), static random access memories(SRAM), and other forms of volatile memories known in the art.

Storage device 804 may, in some examples, also include one or morecomputer-readable storage media. Storage device 804 may be configured tostore larger amounts of information than volatile memory. Storage device804 may further be configured for long-term storage of information asnon-volatile memory space and retain information after activate/offcycles. Examples of non-volatile memories include magnetic hard discs,optical discs, floppy discs, flash memories, or forms of electricallyprogrammable memories (EPROM) or electrically erasable and programmable(EEPROM) memories. Storage device 804 may store program instructionsand/or data associated with components such as rule engine 814 and alertengine 818.

UI device 806 may be configured to receive user input and/or outputinformation to a user. One or more input components of UI device 806 mayreceive input. Examples of input are tactile, audio, kinetic, andoptical input, to name only a few examples. UI device 806 ofcommunication hub 130, in one example, include a mouse, keyboard, voiceresponsive system, video camera, buttons, control pad, microphone or anyother type of device for detecting input from a human or machine. Insome examples, UI device 806 may be a presence-sensitive inputcomponent, which may include a presence-sensitive screen,touch-sensitive screen, etc.

One or more output components of UI device 806 may generate output.Examples of output are data, tactile, audio, and video output. Outputcomponents of UI device 806, in some examples, include apresence-sensitive screen, sound card, video graphics adapter card,speaker, cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor, liquid crystal display (LCD),or any other type of device for generating output to a human or machine.Output components may include display components such as cathode raytube (CRT) monitor, liquid crystal display (LCD), Light-Emitting Diode(LED) or any other type of device for generating tactile, audio, and/orvisual output. Output components may be integrated with communicationhub 130 in some examples.

UI device 806 may include a display, lights, buttons, keys (such asarrow or other indicator keys), and may be able to provide alerts to theuser in a variety of ways, such as by sounding an alarm or vibrating.The user interface can be used for a variety of functions. For example,a user may be able to acknowledge or snooze an alert through the userinterface. The user interface may also be used to control settings forthe head top and/or turbo peripherals that are not immediately withinthe reach of the user. For example, the turbo may be worn on the lowerback where the wearer cannot access the controls without significantdifficulty.

Sensors 808 may include one or more sensors that generate dataindicative of an activity of a worker 10 associated with hub 14 and/ordata indicative of an environment in which hub 14 is located. Sensors808 may include, as examples, one or more accelerometers, one or moresensors to detect conditions present in a particular environment (e.g.,sensors for measuring temperature, humidity, particulate content, noiselevels, air quality, or any variety of other characteristics ofenvironments in which respirator 13 may be used), or a variety of othersensors.

Communication hub 130 may store usage data 810 from components of airrespirator system 100. For example, as described herein, components ofair respirator system 100 (or any other examples of respirators 13) maygenerate data regarding operation of system 100 that is indicative ofactivities of worker 10 and transmit the data in real-time or nearreal-time to hub 130. Usage data may include, for example, the datashown in Tables 1-3.

In some examples, hub 130 may immediately relay usage data 810 toanother computing device, such as PPEMS 6, via communication unit 802.In other examples, storage device 804 may store usage data 810 for sometime prior to uploading the data to another device. For example, in someinstances, communication unit 802 may be able to communicate with system100 but may not have network connectivity, e.g., due to an environmentin which system 100 is located and/or network outages. In suchinstances, hub 130 may store usage data 810 to storage device 804, whichmay allow the usage data to be uploaded to another device upon a networkconnection becoming available.

Communication hub 130 may store safety rules 812 as described in thisdisclosure. Safety rules 812 may be stored in any suitable data store asdescribed in this disclosure. Safety rules 812 may, in some examples,include the rules set forth in the example of Table 4 above.

As examples for purposes of illustration, safety rules 812 may includethreshold information both for a length of time visor 112 is allowed tobe in an open position before an alert is generated, and the level ortype of contaminants that will trigger an alert. For example, when datahub 130 receives information from an environmental beacon that there areno hazards present in the environment, the threshold for the visor 112being in the open position may be infinite. If a hazard is present inthe environment, then the threshold may be determined based upon theconcern of the threat to the user. Radiation, dangerous gases, or toxicfumes would all require assignment of the threshold to be on the orderof one second or less.

Thresholds for head top temperature can be used to predict, e.g., byPPEMS 6, heat related illness and more frequent hydration and/or restperiods can be recommended to the user. Thresholds can be used forpredicted battery run time. As the battery nears selectable remainingrun time, the user can be notified/warned to complete their current taskand seek a fresh battery. When a threshold is exceeded for a specificenvironmental hazard, an urgent alert can be given to the user toevacuate the immediate area. Thresholds can be customized to variouslevels of openness for the visor. In other words, a threshold for theamount of a time the visor may be open without triggering an alarm maybe longer if the visor is in the partially open position as compared tothe open position.

Reaching different thresholds set forth in safety rules 812 may resultin triggering different types of alerts or alarms. For example, alarmsmay be informational (not requiring a user response), urgent (repeatedand requiring a response or acknowledgement from a user), or emergency(requiring immediate action from a user.) The type of alert or alarm canbe tailored to the environment. Different types of alerts and alarms canbe coupled together to get user attention. In some instances, a user maybe able to “snooze” an alert or alarm.

Rule engine 814 may be a combination of hardware and software thatexecutes one or more safety rules, such as safety rules 812. Forinstance, rule engine 814 may determine which safety rules to executebased on context data, information included in the safety rule set,other information received from PPEMS 6 or other computing devices, userinput from the worker, or any other source of data that indicates whichsafety rules to execute. In some examples, safety rules 812 may beinstalled prior to a worker entering a work environment, while in otherexamples, safety rules 812 be dynamically retrieved by communication hub130 based on context data generated at first particular point in time.

Rule engine 814 may execute safety rules periodically, continuously, orasynchronously. For instance, rule engine 814 may execute safety rulesperiodically by evaluating the conditions of such rules each time aparticular time interval passes or expires (e.g., every second, everyminute, etc.). In some examples, rule engine 814 may execute safetyrules continuously by checking such conditions using one or morescheduling techniques that continuously evaluate the conditions of suchrules. In some examples, rule engine 814 may execute safety rulesasynchronously, such as in response to detecting an event. An event maybe any detectable occurrence, such as moving to a new location,detecting a worker, coming within a threshold distance of anotherobject, or any other detectable occurrence.

Rule engine 814, upon determining that a condition of a safety rule hasor has not been satisfied may perform one or more actions associatedwith the safety rule by executing one or more operations that define theactions. For instance, rule engine 814 may execute a condition thatdetermines if a worker is approaching or has entered a work environment,(a) whether a PAPR is being worn by the worker and (b) whether thefilter in the PAPR of a particular type of filter, e.g., a filter thatremoves contaminants of a particular type. This safety rule may specifyactions if the condition is not satisfied which cause rule engine 814 togenerate an alert at communication hub 130 using UI device 806 and senda message using communication unit 802 to PPEMS 6, which may cause PPEMS6 to send a notification to a remote user (e.g., the safety manager).

Alert data 816 may be used for generating alerts for output by UI device806. For example, hub 130 may receive alert data from PPEMS 6, end-usercomputing devices 16, remote users using computing devices 18, safetystations 15, or other computing devices. In some examples, alert data816 may be based on operation of system 100. For example, hub 130 mayreceive alert data 816 that indicates a status of system 100, thatsystem 100 is appropriate for the environment in which system 100 islocated, that the environment in which system 100 is located is unsafe,or the like.

In some examples, additionally or alternatively, hub 130 may receivealert data 816 associated with a likelihood of a safety event. Forexample, as noted above, PPEMS 6 may, in some examples, apply historicaldata and models to usage data from system 100 in order to computeassertions, such as anomalies or predicted occurrences of imminentsafety events based on environmental conditions or behavior patterns ofa worker using system 100. That is, PPEMS 6 may apply analytics toidentify relationships or correlations between sensed data from system100, environmental conditions of environment in which system 100 islocated, a geographic region in which system 100 is located, and/orother factors. PPEMS 6 may determine, based on the data acquired acrosspopulations of workers 10, which particular activities, possibly withincertain environment or geographic region, lead to, or are predicted tolead to, unusually high occurrences of safety events. Hub 130 mayreceive alert data 816 from PPEMS 6 that indicates a relatively highlikelihood of a safety event.

Alert engine 818 may be a combination of hardware and software thatinterprets alert data 816 and generate an output at UI device 806 (e.g.,an audible, visual, or tactile output) to notify worker 10 of the alertcondition (e.g., that the likelihood of a safety event is relativelyhigh, that the environment is dangerous, that system 100 ismalfunctioning, that one or more components of system 100 need to berepaired or replaced, or the like). In some instances, alert engine 818may also interpret alert data 816 and issue one or more commands tosystem 100 to modify operation or enforce rules of system 100 in orderto bring operation of system 100 into compliance with desired/less riskybehavior. For example, alert engine 818 may issue commands that controlthe operation of head top 110 or clean air supply source 120 (e.g., toincrease the speed of the blower, or the like).

FIGS. 9-16 illustrate example user interfaces (UIs) for representingusage data from one or more respirators, according to aspects of thisdisclosure. For example, as described herein, respirators 13 may beconfigured to transmit acquired usage data to PPEMS 6. Computingdevices, such as computing devices 60 may request PPEMS 6 to perform adatabase query or otherwise generate and output a report or userinterface to present acquired safety information, compliance informationand any results of the analytic engine, e.g., by the way of dashboards,alert notifications, reports and the like. That is, as described herein,users 24, 26, or software executing on computing devices 16, 18,(FIG. 1) may submit queries or other communication to PPEMS 6 andreceive data corresponding to the queries for presentation in the formof one or more reports or dashboards. The UIs shown in FIGS. 9-16represent examples of such reports or dashboards, and may be output, forexample, at any of computing devices 60 (FIG. 2).

The UIs shown in FIGS. 9-16 may provide various insights regardingsystem 2, such as baseline (“normal”) operation across workerpopulations, identifications of any anomalous workers engaging inabnormal activities that may potentially expose the worker to risks,identifications of any geographic regions within environments 2 forwhich unusually anomalous (e.g., high) safety events have been or arepredicted to occur, identifications of any of environments 8 exhibitinganomalous occurrences of safety events relative to other environments,and the like. In some examples, PPEMS 6 may automatically reconfigure auser interface in response to detecting a safety event. For instance,PPEMS 6 may determine one or more characteristics of the safety eventrelating to PPE, worker, and/or worker environment associated with theevent and update one or more user interfaces that include input controlscustomized to the particular safety event. For instance, specificdetails relating to the characteristics of the safety event such as PPEtype, work environment location, and/or worker metrics may be presentedin a user interface in response to the safety event to enable one ormore persons to respond efficiently to the safety event with therelevant information.

FIG. 9 illustrates a UI having a plurality of user-selectable filters900 for filtering usage data from at least one respirator, such as atleast one of respirators 13. Computing devices 60 may output UI contentbased on the filter selections, the UI content being indicative of theusage data corresponding to the filter selections, as shown in greaterdetail with respect to FIG. 10.

FIG. 10 illustrates another example of a UI having a plurality ofuser-selectable filters 1000 for filtering usage data from at least onerespirator, such as at least one of respirators 13. Again, computingdevices 60 may output UI content based on the filter selections 1006that is indicative of the usage data corresponding to the filterselections. In the example of FIG. 10, filter selections include motionof a user of respirator 13, a battery status of respirator 13, headpresence of a user's head in respirator 13, and ambient air temperature.

The UI content of FIG. 10 also includes a plurality of usage datastreams over a time domain 1010, where the usage data streams correspondto the filter selections. With respect to motion, for example, thecorresponding data stream indicates when the user was in motion or notin motion. In addition, the UI includes content regarding headdetection, ambient air temperature, and battery status over a timedomain.

FIG. 11 illustrates one example of an alert 1100, which may be issued byPPEMS 6. For example, PPEMS 6 may generate alert data that indicatesthat a user of a respirator 13 does not have the proper equipment (e.g.,an incorrect filter for a particular environment). PPEMS 6 may transmitthe alert data to one of computing devices 60, which may generate the UIshown in FIG. 11 based on the alert data.

FIG. 12 illustrates another example of a UI that includes a plurality ofusage data streams over a time domain 1200. In some examples, the usagedata streams correspond to the filter selections. The example of FIG. 12illustrates a UI that has been generated based on the form factor of thecomputing device upon which UI is generated and displayed. Inparticular, the UI has been generated for a form factor associated witha mobile computing device.

FIG. 13 illustrates a UI that includes a plurality of recommendedreports 1300. In some examples, PPEMS 6 may populate recommended reportsbased on, for example, reports previously run for a particular user(e.g., safety manager), reports run for other users (e.g., other safetymanagers) that deploy the same or similar PPE, the type of PPE deployedin a particular environment, or the like.

FIG. 14 illustrates another example of a UI having a plurality ofuser-selectable filters 1400 for filtering usage data from at least onerespirator, such as at least one of respirators 13. Again, computingdevices 60 may output UI content based on the filter selections that isindicative of the usage data corresponding to the filter selections. Inthe example of FIG. 10, filter selections include ambient airtemperature, motion of a user of respirator 13, a battery status ofrespirator 13, head presence of a user's head in respirator 13, a filterstatus of a filter of respirator 13, and a cartridge status of acartridge of respirator 13.

As shown in the example of FIG. 14, a non-limiting set of filters mayinclude, as examples, identification of a user of a respirator of the atleast one respirator, components of the at least one respirator, ageographic location, a time, a temperature, a motion of the user, anambient noise, an impact to the at least one respirator, a posture ofthe user of the at least one respirator, a battery status of a batteryof the at least one respirator, a visor position of a visor of the atleast one respirator, a presence of a head in a head top of the at leastone respirator, a pressure of a blower of the at least one respirator, ablower speed of the blower of the at least one respirator, a filterstatus of a filter of the at least one respirator, or a status of acartridge of the at least one respirator.

The example of FIG. 14 also includes alert filters 1404 for filteringalert types from the at least one respirator. A user may selectparticular alters from alert filters 1404, and a computing device mayoutput UI content based on the alert filter selections. In the exampleof FIG. 14, missing equipment alerts has been selected, which may resultin generation of the UI content shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 15 illustrates example UI content in the form of a report thatincludes a number of incidents by time, a number of incidents by timeand day of the week, a number of incidents by area, and a number ofincidents by particular workers. The incidents illustrated in FIG. 15may correspond to usage data from respirators and/or alerts generatedbased on the usage data. For example, the UI of FIG. 15 illustratesincidents associated with a missing equipment alert.

FIG. 16 illustrates another example of UI content that includes aplurality of usage data streams over a time domain 1600, where the usagedata streams may correspond to filter selections. In the example of FIG.16, an anomaly at 10:46 AM is identified for ambient air temperatureusing the vertical line and date description output for display in theuser interface.

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process fordetermining the likelihood of a safety event, according to aspects ofthis disclosure. While the techniques shown in FIG. 17 are describedwith respect to PPEMS 6, it should be understood that the techniques maybe performed by a variety of computing devices.

In the illustrated example, PPEMS 6 obtains usage data from at least onerespirator, such as at least one of respirators 13 (1700). As describedherein, the usage data comprises data indicative of operation ofrespirator 13. In some examples, PPEMS 6 may obtain the usage data bypolling respirators 13 or hubs 14 for the usage data. In other examples,respirators 13 or hubs 14 may send usage data to PPEMS 6. For example,PPEMS 6 may receive the usage data from respirators 13 or hubs 14 inreal time as the usage data is generated. In other examples, PPEMS 6 mayreceive stored usage data.

PPEMS 6 may apply the usage data to a safety learning model thatcharacterizes activity of a user of the at least one respirator 13(1702). For example, as described herein, the safety learning model maybe trained based on data from known safety events and/or historical datafrom respirators 13. In this way, the safety learning model may bearranged to define safe regions and regions unsafe.

PPEMS 6 may predict a likelihood of an occurrence of a safety eventassociated with the at least one respirator 13 based on application ofthe usage data to the safety learning model (1704). For example, PPEMS 6may apply the obtained usage data to the safety learning model todetermine whether the usage data is consistent with safe activity (e.g.,as defined by the model) or potentially unsafe activity.

PPEMS 6 may generate an output in response to predicting the likelihoodof the occurrence of the safety event (1706). For example, PPEMS 6 maygenerate alert data when the usage data is not consistent with safeactivity (as defined by the safety learning model). PPEMS 6 may send thealert data to respirator 13, a safety manager, or another third partythat indicates the likelihood of the occurrence of the safety event.

FIG. 18 is a flow chart of a process for generating a user interface(UI) that includes content based on usage data from one or morerespirators. The techniques shown in FIG. 18 may be used to generate theexample UIs shown in FIGS. 9-16. While the techniques shown in FIG. 18are described with respect to a computing device 60, it should beunderstood that the techniques may be performed by a variety ofcomputing devices.

Computing device 60 outputs, for display by computing device 60, a UIhaving a plurality of user-selectable filters for filtering usage datafrom at least one respirator (such as at least one of respirators 13)(1800). The filters may include, as non-limiting examples,identification of a user of a respirator of the at least one respirator,components of the at least one respirator, a geographic location, atime, a temperature, a motion of the user, an ambient noise, an impactto the at least one respirator, a posture of the user of the at leastone respirator, a battery status of a battery of the at least onerespirator, a visor position of a visor of the at least one respirator,a presence of a head in a head top of the at least one respirator, apressure of a blower of the at least one respirator, a blower speed ofthe blower of the at least one respirator, a filter status of a filterof the at least one respirator, or a status of a cartridge of the atleast one respirator.

Computing device 60 may receive, by the computing device, an indicationof filter selections for the user-selectable filters, e.g., by a user ofcomputing device 60 (1802). Computing device 60 may request the usagedata from one or more servers (such as PPEMS 6) based on the filterselections (1804). Computing device 60 may then output, for display bycomputing device 60, UI content based on the filter selections, the UIcontent being indicative of the usage data corresponding to the filterselections (1806). For example, in some instances, computing device 60may generate one or more data streams of usage data over a time domain,as shown in the various examples of FIGS. 9-16.

FIGS. 19A-19B illustrate a system 1900 that includes head top 1910 andhearing protector 1920, in accordance with this disclosure. As shown inFIG. 19A, head top 1910 may include structure and functionality that issimilar to or the same as head top 110 as described in FIG. 8 and otherembodiments of this disclosures. Head top 1910 (or other headworndevice, such as a head band) may include hearing protector 1920 thatincludes, ear muff attachment assembly 1912. Ear muff attachmentassembly 1912 may include housing 1914, an arm set 1916, and ear muffs1921. Hearing protector 1920 may include two separate ear muff cups1921, one of which is visible in FIGS. 19A-19B and the other on theopposite side of the user's head and similarly configured to the visibleear muff cup in FIG. 19A. Arm set 1916 is rotatable between one or moredifferent positions, such that hearing protector 1920 may be adjustedand/or toggled, for example, between “active” and “standby” positions(or one or more additional intermediate positions), as shownrespectively in FIGS. 19A and 19B. In an active position, hearingprotector 1920 is configured to at least partially cover a user's ear.In a standby mode, hearing protector 1920 is in a raised position awayfrom and/or out of contact with a user's head. A user is able to switchbetween active and standby positions when entering or leaving an areanecessitating hearing protection, for example, or as may be desired bythe user. Adjustment to a standby position allows hearing protector 1920to be readily available for the user to move hearing protector 1920 intoan active position in which hearing protection is provided without theneed to carry or store ear muffs.

Ear muff attachment assembly 1912 may be attached directly or indirectlyto a helmet, hard hat, strap, head band, or other head support, such asa head top 1910. Head top 1910 may be worn simultaneously with, andprovide a support for, ear muff attachment assembly 1912. Ear muffattachment assembly 1912 is attached to an outer surface of head top1910, and arm set 1916 extends generally downwardly around an edge ofhead top 1910 such that ear muffs of hearing protector 1920 may bedesirably positioned to cover a user's ear.

In various examples, head top 1910 and ear muff attachment assembly 1912may be joined using various suitable attachment components, such assnap-fit components, rivets, mechanical fasteners, adhesive, or othersuitable attachment components as known in the art. Ear muffs of hearingprotector 1920 are configured to cover at least a portion of a user'sear and/or head. In FIG. 19A, ear muffs exhibit a cup shape and includea cushion and a sound absorber (not shown). Cushions are configured tocontact a user's head and/or ear when ear muffs are in an activeposition forming an appropriate seal to prevent sound waves fromentering. Arm set 1916 extends outwardly from head top 1910 and isconfigured to carry ear muffs of hearing protector 1920.

In the example of FIGS. 19A-19B, ear muff attachment assembly 1912 mayhave positional or motion sensors to detect whether the ear muffs are inthe standby or active position. The positional or motion sensor maygenerate one or more signals that indicate a particular position from aset of one or more positions. The signals may indicate one or moreposition values (e.g., discrete “active”/“standby” values, numericposition representations, or any other suitable encoding or measurementvalues). If, for example, the standby condition (illustrated in FIG.19B) is detected by the one or more positional or motion sensors and ifan environmental sound detector (either included at system 1900 or in adevice external to system 1900) detects unsafe sound levels, then acomputing device (included at system 1900 or external to system 1900)may generate an indication of output, such as a notification, log entry,or other type of output. In FIG. 19B, standby position 1922 isillustrated in contrast to active position 1918 of FIG. 19A. In someexamples, the indication of output may be audible, visual, haptic, orany other physical sensory output.

In high noise environment workers may be required to use hearingprotection in the form of ear plugs or ear muffs. Ear muffs typicallycomprise cup shaped shell with a sound absorbing liner that sealsagainst the ear of the user. Many workers also use head and/or faceprotection while wearing ear muffs. Therefore, many ear muff models aredesigned to attach to a helmet, hard hat or other headgear, such asshown in FIGS. 19A-19B. The ear muffs may be affixed to the headgear viaan arm that attaches to the headgear and is adjustable between variouspositions over or away from the worker's ear.

As described above, headgear mounted ear muffs rotate between twopositions: the active position where the ear muffs cover the worker'sears providing hearing protection, and the standby position where theear muffs are rotated up and away from the ears. While in the standbyposition the ear muff does not provide hearing protection to the worker.In some types of headgear attached ear muffs, the muffs can be pivotedoutward away from the ear of the user in the standby position. In thiscase, the ear muffs rest at a small distance away from the head of theuser. In the active position, the muffs are pivoted toward the headwhere it is sealed around the ears of the user providing hearingprotection.

Techniques and apparatuses of this disclosure may notify workers (orpersons nearby or supervising the worker) when the noise level in thework environment exceeds an exposure threshold and when the ear muffsare not engaged in the active position so the worker can ensure hisheadgear mounted ear muffs are in the active position. Techniques andapparatuses of this disclosure may generate indications of output, suchas a notification for a worker within a certain area when the noiselevel exceeds a predetermined level in that area and when the ear muffsworn by the worker are in the standby position.

Techniques and apparatuses of this disclosure may incorporate engagementor rotation sensors at the headgear mounted ear muffs that determinewhether the ear muffs are in the standby position in a location wherehearing hazard is present. In some examples, indications of the ear muffor hearing protector being in standby mode while worker is within acertain area where noise levels exceed an exposure threshold may betransmitted by a computing device generating the indication to one ormore other computing devices as described in this disclosure.

In some examples, a microphone may be fitted or otherwise positionedinside the cup of the muff to generate an indication or signal from themicrophone that is representative of the noise level inside the muff(e.g., decibel level). In some examples, this inner-muff noise level iscompared by a computing device to a sound level detected by a microphoneoutside of the muff, e.g., in the environment of the worker. If acomputing device determines the external-muff noise level in the workenvironment exceeds an exposure threshold and if the computing devicedetermines the difference between the inner-muff sound level measured bythe microphone in the muff and the external-muff noise level of theenvironmental sound sensor is less than the required minimum (indicatingproper worker hearing protection), then the computing device maygenerate an indication of output (e.g., message, alert, or the like)that is sent to one or more other computing devices to notify otherworkers, supervisors, or persons. In some examples, informationcollected from the sensors (e.g., position, noise level, and the like)can be used to track compliance and develop worker safety plans in awork environment.

In the example of FIGS. 19A and 19B, housing 1914 may include a positionsensor or a gyroscope positioned near the axis of rotation to act asperiphery sensor communicating the position of the muff to a computingdevice. In other examples, housing 1914 may include any suitable devicefor determining the position of ear muffs 1921. Housing 1914 may includea wired and/or wireless communication device that is communicativelycoupled to the sensor or gyroscope. As such, the position sensor orgyroscope may communicate, via the communication device and to thecomputing device, the present position of ear muffs 1921 and/or a changein position of ear muffs 1921. In some instances, the computing devicemay be included within housing 1914, may be positioned on or attached tothe worker in a separate device external to hearing protector 1920, ormay be in a remote computing device separate from the worker altogether(e.g., a remove server).

As shown in FIG. 19A, and in accordance with this disclosure, a system1900 may include: a hearing protector 1920, at least one position sensor(included in housing 1914) that operates as a position sensor describedin this disclosure, at least one sound monitoring sensor 1915. Soundmonitoring sensor 1915 may be communicatively coupled to a computingdevice 1917 which, may be positioned on or attached to the worker in aseparate device external to hearing protector 1920 or may be in a remotecomputing device separate from the worker altogether (e.g., a removeserver). Computing device 1917 may include the same, a subset, or asuperset of functionality and components illustrated and described inFIGS. 2 and 8. Sound monitoring sensor 1915 may measure and generatedata that includes sound levels at points in time, an amount of soundexposure over a period of time, or any other data indicating soundproximate to hearing protector 1920.

In the example of FIGS. 19A-19B, computing device 1917 may becommunicatively coupled to the at least one position sensor in housing1914 and the at least one sound monitoring sensor 1915, computing device1917 including one or more computer processors and a memory withinstructions that when executed by the one or more computer processorscause the one or more computer processors to receive, from the at leastone sound monitoring sensor and over a time duration, indications ofsound levels to which a worker is exposed. In some examples, the timeduration may be user-defined, hard-coded, or machine-generated. Examplesof the time duration may be one second, five seconds, thirty seconds,one minute, five minutes, ten minutes, or any time duration. In someexamples, the time duration may be pre-defined or pre-determined.

As shown in standby position 1922, computing device 1917 may determine,from the at least one position sensor and during the time duration, thatthe hearing protector 1920 is not positioned at one or more ears of theworker to attenuate the sound levels (e.g., standby position). Computingdevice 1917 may determine in other examples, that hearing protector 1920is positioned at one or more ears of the worker to attenuate soundlevels as shown in active position 1918 of FIG. 19A. The at least oneposition sensor may generate and/or send data to computing device 1917that indicates the current position of ear muffs 1920 or a change inposition. In some examples, hearing protector 1920 may be a set of earplugs that are included within the worker's ear in active mode, or notincluded in the worker's ears in standby mode. Rather than using aposition sensor, other techniques such as vision-based detection (e.g.,using cameras), radio frequency detection (e.g., using radio frequencyidentification), or any other techniques may be used to determinewhether the ear plugs are in active or standby mode and techniques inFIGS. 19A-19B may be similarly used.

Computing device 1917 may generate, in response to the determinationthat at least one of the sound levels satisfies an exposure thresholdduring the time duration and the hearing protector is not positioned atone or more ears of the worker to attenuate the sound levels, anindication for output. In some examples, the exposure threshold may beuser-defined, hard-coded, or machine-generated. In some examples, theexposure threshold may be defined based at least in part on a healthregulation or health data that indicates the maximum amount of sounddosing or sound levels that a worker may be safety exposed to. In someexamples, the sound levels may satisfy the exposure threshold if thesound levels are greater than or equal to the exposure threshold for orat a time during the particular time duration.

Computing device 1917 may generate any type of indication of output. Insome examples, the indication of output may be a message that includesvarious notification data. Notification data may include but is notlimited to: an alert, warning, or information message; a type ofpersonal protective equipment; a worker identifier; a timestamp of whenthe message was generated; a position of the personal protectiveequipment; one or more sound levels or sound dosing, or any otherdescriptive information. In some examples, the message may be sent toone or more computing devices as described in this disclosure and outputfor display at one or more user interfaces of output devicescommunicatively coupled to the respective computing devices. In someexamples, the indication of output may be haptic or audible and outputat one or more computing devices as described in this disclosure.

In other examples, two microphones may be used as periphery sensors. Forinstance, a first microphone may be positioned within the ear muff cupand the other microphone may be positioned external to the ear muff cup.This embodiment may be used for hearing protector models where the earmuffs do not rotate as they move between the active and standbypositions, but instead pivot away from the head in a lateral direction.This embodiment also works with the ear muffs shown in FIGS. 19A-19B. Inthis embodiment a small microphone (such as the microphone used in the3M™ E-A-R Fit™ Validation System) is placed inside the cup of the muff.A second microphone is placed outside of the cup near the firstmicrophone, in some instances, on the side of the headgear. The twomicrophones communicate to a computing device where the difference inthe measured signals representing sound levels between the twomicrophones is determined by the computing device. The sound level inthe work environment may also be received by the computing device fromsound meter.

When the noise level in the work environment is below a work environmentnoise threshold (e.g., below 85 dB), then the computing device maygenerate for output an indication that is provided to the worker thathe/she can place the earmuffs in the standby position. When the noiselevel in the work environment is above the work environment noisethreshold, then the computing device may determine if the difference insound levels between the internal and external microphones is below adifference threshold indicating that the ear muffs are in the standbyposition. If the difference in sound level is below the differencethreshold, the computing device may generate for output an indication tothe worker to place the ear muffs in the active position. In someexamples, the indications for output in any of the examples of FIGS.19A-19B may be sent to, logged, or stored at any number of computingdevices.

If the computing device determines that the sound level is above a workenvironment noise threshold (e.g., an unsafe level) and the differencein the sound levels measured by the periphery microphones is above thedifference threshold (indicating that the ear muffs are in the activemode), then no indication for output may be generated. In otherexamples, the computing device may generate for output an indicationthat includes a “compliant” status to one or more computing devices.

In some examples, the computing device may determine a location of theworker. The computing device, as part of determining that at least oneof the sound levels satisfies the exposure threshold during the timeduration and the hearing protector is not positioned at one or more earsof the worker to attenuate the sound levels, may further determine thatthe location of the worker is within a distance threshold of a locationthat corresponds to the at least one of the sound levels that satisfiesthe exposure threshold. That is the computing device may computer theworker's location to a location of a sound level that exceeded anexposure threshold, and determine based on the worker's proximity to thesound level that the hearing protector should be in the active position.

In some examples, techniques of this disclosure may determine a type ofhearing protector. For example, a hearing protector may be assigned aprotection factor of High, so even if the hearing protector is notpositioned exactly correct on a worker, it may provide adequateprotection in contrast to a hearing protector with a low protectionfactor. Hearing protectors may also have accessories or attributes thatmight make them exhibit higher or lower hearing protection factors, i.e.gel ear seals vs foam.

FIGS. 20A-20B illustrate a system 2000 in accordance with thisdisclosure. System 2000 may include a headtop 2010 and a visor 2016. Insome examples, visor 2016 is physically coupled to headtop 2010 by avisor attachment assembly 2014. Visor attachment assembly 2014 may beattached directly or indirectly to a helmet, hard hat, strap, head band,or other head support, such as a head top 2010. Head top 2010 may beworn simultaneously with, and provide a support for, visor attachmentassembly 2014. Visor attachment assembly 2014 may be integrated with orattached to an outer surface of head top 2010. Visor 2016 may rotatebetween one or more open and closed (e.g., active in FIG. 20A andstandby in FIG. 20B) positions, such as further shown in FIG. 20B, bypivoting on an axis provided by visor attachment assembly 2014 that isorthogonal to the adjacent surface of visor 2016. In some instances,computing device 2017 may be included at system 2000, may be positionedon or attached to the worker in a separate device external to system2000, or may be in a remote computing device separate from the workeraltogether (e.g., a remove server). In various examples, head top 2010and visor attachment assembly 2014 may be joined using various suitableattachment components, such as snap-fit components, rivets, mechanicalfasteners, adhesive, or other suitable attachment components as known inthe art. Visor 2016 is configured to cover at least a portion of auser's face.

As shown in FIG. 20, visor 2016 includes a light-filtering shield 2012,which may filter light to which the user's face would otherwise beexposed. Light-filtering shield 2012 may be any transparent orsemi-transparent physical barrier. In some examples, light-filteringshield 2012 may block high intensity light. In this context, “light”means electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength that might be capable ofdamaging the eyes of a user, or of causing perceived discomfort to theuser. In this context, such light includes at least visible light, andmay also include infrared and/or ultraviolet radiation, whether or notsuch radiation is perceptible to the user. In this context, “highintensity” light means light that is present at such intensity (e.g.such as that emitted by a device such as an arc welder) such that itmight be capable of damaging the eyes of a user, or of causing perceiveddiscomfort to the user. In some examples, light-filtering shield 2012may be comprised of well-known electrochromatic materials or chromaticmaterials that block or otherwise filter high intensity light, and whichare within the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art.

In some examples, it may be beneficial to notify one or more otherworkers in proximity to a high-intensity light, who may not becontrolling or directly engaged with the activity that is generating thehigh-intensity light. For instance, multiple workers may be operatingwithin a work environment in which one of the workers is engaged in awelding activity that generates high-intensity light. Other workers withan unobstructed path to the high-intensity light may be exposed to suchlight which may cause harm to the workers if such light is not filtered.Techniques and systems of this disclosure may prevent such inadvertentexposure to high-intensity light as further described in the example ofFIGS. 20A-20B.

FIG. 20A illustrates a system 2000 comprising head-mounted device 2010,visor attachment assembly 2014 that includes at least one positionsensor coupled to the head-mounted device 2010, at least one visor 2016that includes light-filtering shield coupled to the at least oneposition sensor; at least one light detector 2019; and at least onecomputing device 2017 communicatively coupled to the at least oneposition sensor and at least one light detector 2019. Light detector2019 is capable of detecting at least: “high” input that indicates thepresence of high light intensity, “low” input that indicates the absenceof high light intensity, a change from high to low input, and a changefrom low to high input. Light detector 2019 is also capable ofcommunicating the detection of such high and low input and changes therebetween to the other components of system 2000. As such, whenexpressions are used in this disclosure such as detects high input,detects low input, detects a change from high input to low input, etc.,it will be understood that such detection is by way of light detector2019.

In some examples, light detector 2019 may detect different types oflight where different types refer to different wavelengths. An exampleof a type of light may be laser light. In some examples, light detector2019 may determine a type of light rather than an intensity of light. Inother examples light detector 2019 may determine a type and an intensityof light.

In various embodiments, light detector 2019 may be located physicallyclose to some or all of the other components (hardware, etc.) of system2000 or may be located physically remote from some or all of the othercomponents. Regardless, light detector 2019 may be in communication withother components of system 2000 via one or more wired or wirelesscommunication channels as needed for functioning of system 2000. In oneembodiment, light detector 2019 is capable of directly detectingincident light of high intensity (e.g., light detector 2019 comprises aphotosensitive device, including but not limited to a photodiode,phototransistor, and so on). In this instance, “high input” means thatlight detector 2019 is directly sensing incident light of highintensity. (In such an embodiment, it may be preferential to locatelight detector 2019 in close proximity to system 2000, so that the lightincident on light detector 2019 is closely representative of the lightincident on system 2000).

In an alternative embodiment, light detector 2019 is capable ofdetecting the high light intensity indirectly. In such a case a highinput can comprise an input that is indicative of the presence of a highlight intensity. In a particular embodiment, light detector 2019 is incommunication with a (potentially) light-emitting device and is capableof receiving a high input from the light-emitting device that indicatesthat the light-emitting device is in a condition (e.g., powered up andoperating) that is likely to emit high light intensity. In this context,a high input can comprise any signal sent via a connection (whether adedicated wire, an optical fiber, a wireless connection, an IR signal, aradiofrequency broadcast, and the like) that can be received by lightdetector 2019 and that indicates that light-emitting device is in acondition that is likely to emit high light intensity. In such anarrangement, the light-emitting device may include a communication unitthat is capable of performing such communication with light detector2019 via a connection. If desired, such an arrangement can include aprovision for two-way communication such that the light-emitting devicecan receive an acknowledgement from system 2000 or other computingdevice, prior to the light-emitting device emitting light.

FIG. 20A also illustrates computing device 2017 comprising one or morecomputer processors and a memory comprising instructions that may beexecuted by the one or more computer processors. Computing device 2017may include the same, a subset, or a superset of functionality andcomponents illustrated and described in FIGS. 2 and 8. Computing device2017 may be included in or attached to an article of personal protectiveequipment (e.g., system 2000), may be positioned on or attached to theworker in a separate device external to headtop 2010 and visor 2016, ormay be in a remote computing device separate from the worker altogether(e.g., a remove server).

In accordance with this disclosure, computing device 2017 may receive,from light detector 2019, an indication that an intensity of lightdetected by the light detector exceeds an exposure threshold and/or thata type of light detected by the light detector matches a particular typeof light. In some examples, the exposure threshold may be user-defined,hard-coded, or machine-generated. Computing device 2017 may determine,from the position sensor included in visor attachment assembly 2014,that the light-filtering shield is or is not positioned at the face of aworker to filter light with the intensity that exceeds the exposurethreshold and/or the type of light matches a particular type. In someexamples, computing device 2017 may determine that the light-filteringshield is or is not positioned at the face of a worker to filter lightwith the intensity that exceeds the exposure threshold within athreshold time at which the user was in a location during which thelight exposure was present. As shown in FIG. 20A, visor 2016 ispositioned at the face of a worker to filter light with the intensitythat exceeds the exposure threshold (e.g., active position). As shown inFIG. 20B, visor 2016 is not positioned at the face of a worker to filterlight with the intensity that exceeds the exposure threshold (e.g.,standby position).

Computing device 2017 may generate, in response to the determinationthat the light-filtering shield is not positioned at the face of aworker to filter light with the intensity that exceeds the thresholdand/or the type of light matches a particular type, an indication foroutput. In some examples, the indication of output may be haptic oraudible and output at one or more computing devices as described in thisdisclosure. Computing device 1917 may generate any type of indication ofoutput. In some examples, the indication of output may be a message thatincludes various notification data. Notification data may include but isnot limited to: an alert, warning, or information message; a type ofpersonal protective equipment; a worker identifier; a timestamp of whenthe message was generated; a position of the personal protectiveequipment; one or more light intensities, or any other descriptiveinformation. In some examples, the message may be sent to one or morecomputing devices as described in this disclosure and output for displayat one or more user interfaces of output devices communicatively coupledto the respective computing devices. In some examples computing device2017 may receive an indication whether welding activity was occurring(e.g., welding arc was present) and generate the indication of outputfurther based on whether the welding activity was occurring.

In some examples, there may be a first and second worker that areoperating in the same work environment. The indication of the intensityof light detected by light detector 2019 may be based on the secondworker performing a welding activity while facing in a first direction.A welding activity may include any activity that results in the creationor formation of a weld along one or more edges of physical material.Computing device 2017 may receive an indication of a direction in whichthe first worker is facing. For instance, the first and/or secondworkers may each be wearing a device that includes compass or otherorientation detecting device that indications a bearing or orientationof the worker. Computing device 2017 may determine that the direction inwhich the first worker is facing at least has or will expose a face ofthe first worker to light from the welding activity of the secondworker. As such, computing device 2017 may send, based on thedetermination that the direction in which the first worker is facing atleast has or will expose a face of the first worker to light from thewelding activity of the second worker, the indication for output to thefirst worker.

In some examples, to determine that the direction in which the firstworker is facing at least has or will expose a face of the first workerto light from the welding activity of the second worker computing device2017 may determine a first bearing of the direction in which the firstworker is facing and determine a second bearing of the direction inwhich the second worker is facing. Computing device 2017 may determinean angle between the first and second bearings. Based on the angle,computing device 2017 may determine whether the angle between the firstand second bearings satisfies a threshold. If the threshold is satisfied(e.g., less than or equal to for minor arc, or greater than or equal tofor major arc), then computing device 2017 may send an indication foroutput to the first worker, such as a message.

In some examples, rather than waiting for a worker to be exposed tohigh-intensity light before notifying the worker, techniques and systemsof this disclosure may proactively or preemptively notify the worker. Amotion detector may be attached to a first worker and communicativelycoupled to computing device 2017. Computing device 2017 may receive,prior to the first worker facing in the direction that exposes the faceof the first worker to light from the welding activity of a secondworker, a set of one or more indications of motion that indicate theface of the first worker is moving towards the direction of the lightfrom the welding activity of the second worker. Computing device 2017may send the indication for output to the first worker prior to the faceof the first worker being exposed to light from the welding activity ofthe second worker. As such, the first worker may position visor 2016 inan active position. In some examples, if computing device 2017determines that visor 2016 is already in the active position, noindication for output may be sent to the first worker. In some examples,computing device 2017 may send, prior to the first worker facing in adirection that exposes the face of the first worker to light from awelding activity of a second worker, an indication for output to thesecond worker. In some examples, the intensity of the notification(e.g., sound, visual appearance, haptic feedback) may increase as theexposure or likelihood of exposure to high-intensity light for the firstworker increases. Accordingly, the second worker may stop or refrainfrom starting a welding activity until verifying that the first workerhas placed visor 2016 into an active position.

FIGS. 21A-21B illustrate a system 2100 in accordance with thisdisclosure. System 2100 may include a headtop 2110 and a visor 2112. Insome examples, visor 2112 is physically coupled to headtop 2110 by avisor attachment assembly 2114. Visor attachment assembly 2114 may beattached directly or indirectly to a helmet, hard hat, strap, head band,or other head support, such as a head top 2110. Head top 2110 may beworn simultaneously with, and provide a support for, visor attachmentassembly 2114. Visor attachment assembly 2114 may be integrated with orattached to an outer surface of head top 2110. Visor 2112 may rotatebetween one or more open and closed (e.g., active position 2116 in FIG.21A and standby position 2118 in FIG. 21B) positions, such as furthershown in FIG. 21B, by pivoting on an axis provided by visor attachmentassembly 2114 that is orthogonal to the adjacent surface of visor 2112.In some instances, a computing device 2124 may be included at system2100, may be positioned on or attached to the worker in a separatedevice external to system 2100, or may be in a remote computing deviceseparate from the worker altogether (e.g., a remove server). In variousexamples, head top 2110 and visor attachment assembly 2114 may be joinedusing various suitable attachment components, such as snap-fitcomponents, rivets, mechanical fasteners, adhesive, or other suitableattachment components as known in the art. Visor 2112 is configured tocover at least a portion of a user's face.

System 2100 may use an optical sensor 2120 to detect position changes ofa reflective object 2122. In some examples, optical sensor 2120 is acamera that is capable of detecting one or more wavelength spectrums oflight and/or generating images of objects detected in the one or morewavelength spectrums of light. In other examples, optical sensor 2120comprises a light emitter and a photodiode. In such examples, thephotodiode may generate different output signals based on differentintensities of light detected by the photodiode. In some examples, theoutput signals may be proportional to the intensity of light detected bythe photodiode. In some examples, a first spectral range may be fromabout 350 nm to about 700 nm (i.e., visible light spectrum) and a secondspectral range may be from about 700 nm to about 1100 nm (i.e., nearinfrared spectrum or non-visible light spectrum). As further describedin this disclosure, optical sensor 2120 may be mounted, affixed orotherwise positioned on headtop 2110. Various suitable attachmentcomponents, such as snap-fit components, rivets, mechanical fasteners,adhesive, or other suitable attachment components as known in the artmay be used to attach optical sensor 2120 to headtop 2110.

Reflective object 2122 may be a reflective material that is visiblytransparent in the visible light spectrum but reflects non-visible lightin a non-visible light spectrum. In some examples, the reflectivematerial may be applied to or embodied on the object to be sensed (e.g.,the planar or semi-planar concave surface of the shield in visor 2112)or the object itself (e.g., the shield of visor 2112) is made of theretroreflective material. Light may be emitted from a non-visible lightsource (e.g., by optical sensor 2120 or light source separate fromoptical sensor 2120), such that reflective object 2122 reflects thenon-visible light, which is captured by optical sensor 2120. Reflectiveobject 2122 may be shaped such that an amount of non-visible lightcaptured by optical sensor 2120 changes when the object moves. In thisway and as further described in FIGS. 21A-21B, system 2100 may detectwhether and/or to what degree visor 2112 is closed or open based onlight reflected from visibly reflective object 2122 that is captured byoptical sensor 2120 mounted on headtop 2110 (or any suitable helmet headsuspension where optical sensor 2120 may be positioned on a portion ofthe suspension that wraps around the forehead of a person).

FIGS. 21A-21B, illustrate the detection of a position of visor 2112using reflective object 2122 that is comprised of infra-red mirror film.Visor 2112 may be transparent or semi-transparent for usability by theuser. In some examples, visor 2112 may be substantially transparent. Insome examples, substantially transparent may be any opacity between0-20% opacity. In some examples substantially transparent may be lessthan 20% opacity. In some examples, substantially transparent may be 5%,10%, 15% or 20% opacity. In some examples, a pattern or shape ofmulti-layer IR reflective material (IR mirror film) is overlaid on theinside of the visor 2112, such as shown by reflective object 2122overlaid or otherwise embodied on the planar surface of visor 2112.Optical sensor 2120, which may be an IR proximity sensor, is affixed toheadtop 2110 and may contain both a photodiode and IR emitter asdescribed above. Optical sensor 2120 may be positioned such that ahighest possible amount (or at least a threshold amount) of emittedlight reflects off reflective object 2122 (e.g., the IR mirror) intooptical sensor 2120 when visor 2112 is completely closed (i.e., inactive position 2116). As the position of visor 2112 relative to headtop2110 changes from active position 2116 to standby position 2118, lessreflected light is captured by the photodiode of optical sensor 2120.Accordingly, in some examples, optical sensor 2120 may generate signalsproportional to the decreased light captured by the photodiode ofoptical sensor 2120.

In some examples, computing device 2124 may store data that indicatesassociations or relationships between positions of visor 2112 anddegrees or intensities of light captured by optical sensor 2120. Forinstance, computing device 2124 may include a set of mappings thatindicate angles or positions of visor 2112 and degrees or intensities oflight captured by optical sensor 2120. In other examples, computingdevice 2124 may include a combination of hardware and/or software thatdefines a relation between angles or positions of visor 2112 and degreesor intensities of light captured by optical sensor 2120. In someexamples, performance may be affected by sensor position and anglebecause the reflections off the film are specular. In some examples, thevisor/film mirror may be concave with respect to optical sensor 2120 andthus may have a concentrating effect on the emitted light.

Computing device 2124, which may be communicatively coupled to opticalsensor 2120, may perform one or more operations based on the signals orother indications generated by optical sensor 2120 that indicate thedegrees or intensities of light captured. Example operations may includegenerating one or more indications of output, which may be visible,audible, or haptic. As an example, computing device 2124 may determinewhether an operation of equipment by a worker and/or a location of aworker, such as a work environment, require that visor 2112 bepositioned in an active position 2116. If computing device 2124determines that operation of equipment by a worker and/or a location ofa worker requires that visor 2112 be positioned in an active position2116 and computing device 2124 determines that visor 2112 is in standbyposition 2118 or an intermediate position between active position 2116and standby position 2118, computing device 2124 may generate anindication of output.

In some examples, the indication of output may be a message thatincludes various notification data. Notification data may include but isnot limited to: an alert, warning, or information message; a type ofpersonal protective equipment; a worker identifier; a timestamp of whenthe message was generated; a position of the personal protectiveequipment; or any other descriptive information. In some examples, themessage may be sent to one or more computing devices as described inthis disclosure and output for display at one or more user interfaces ofoutput devices communicatively coupled to the respective computingdevices. In some examples, the indication of output may be haptic oraudible and output at one or more computing devices as described in thisdisclosure.

In some examples, the one or more operations performed by computingdevice 2124 may include disabling equipment to be used by the worker,denying access to locations that may otherwise be accessed by the user,or logging information associated with an event based on the position ofvisor 2112 or based on the signals or other indications generated byoptical sensor 2120 that indicate the degrees or intensities of lightcaptured.

In some examples, reflective object 2122 is comprised of a reflectivematerial that is patterned. In some examples, reflective object 2122 maybe partially or fully occluded by an absorbing material/object. In someexamples, reflective object 2122 is multi-layer optical film. In someexamples, reflective object 2122 is a retroreflective material. In someexamples, optical sensor 2120 emits and/or captures only non-visiblelight (e.g., IR light) only. In some examples, reflective object 2122reflects only non-visible light (e.g., IR light). In some examples,optical sensor 2120 includes a light detector and light emitter arecombined in an integrated circuit.

It will be appreciated that numerous and varied other arrangements maybe readily devised by those skilled in the art without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention as claimed. For example, each ofthe communication modules in the various devices described throughoutmay be enabled to communicate as part of a larger network or with otherdevices to allow for a more intelligent infrastructure. Informationgathered by various sensors may be combined with information from othersources, such as information captured through a video feed of a workspace or an equipment maintenance space. In some instances, a portalconfiguration may be used such that if any of the systems describedherein detect that a user or worker has exceeded a given threshold(whether high or low), the worker is prevented from physically gainingaccess to a particular work space or other area. Information gathered bythe systems described herein can be used for further data analytics todetermine compliance with various rules or regulations, and to improvesafety processes. In some instances, a geo-location device, such as aglobal positioning system (GPS) may be incorporated into any of thesystems described herein to provide user location. In some instances,the information collected by the systems and sensors described hereinmay be used to determine remaining service life of any PPE.

It will be appreciated that based on the above description, aspects ofthe disclosure include methods and systems for determining time of use(wear time) of articles, such as PPE articles, by determining if theysatisfy at least one criterion.

Additional features and components can be added to each of the systemsdescribed above.

In some instances the clean air supply source comprises at least one of:a powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) and a self-contained breathingapparatus (SCBA).

In some instances the position sensor comprises at least one of: anaccelerometer, gyro, magnet, switch or air pressure sensor.

In some instances the system further comprises an environmental beacon,wherein the environmental beacon comprises the environmental sensor anda communication module.

In some instances, the environmental beacon communication moduleincludes at least one of: RFID, Bluetooth and WiFi communicationcapabilities.

In some instances, the alarm comprises at least one of: tactile,vibration, audible, visual, heads-up display or radio frequency signal.

In some instances, the head top communication module includes at leastone of: radio frequency identification (RFID), Bluetooth and WiFicommunication capabilities.

In some instances the personal communication hub includes at least oneof: RFID, Bluetooth and WiFi communication capabilities.

In some instances the signal indicating the presence of the hazard is alocation signal.

In some instances the signal indicating the presence of the hazard isgenerated based on detection of a hazard by an environmental sensor.

In some instances the environmental sensor determines the presence of ahazard when a contaminant level exceeds a designated hazard threshold.

In some instances the designated hazard threshold is configurable by theuser.

In some instances the designated hazard threshold is stored on at leastone of the environmental sensor and the personal communication hub.

In some instances the alert is generated after the visor has been in anopen position for a period of time exceeding a designated exposurethreshold.

In some instances the exposure threshold is configurable by the user.

In some instances the exposure threshold is stored on at least one ofthe head top and the personal communication hub.

In some instances the personal communication hub can be worn or carried.

In some instances the head top further comprises a head detectionsensor.

In some instances the alert is only generated if the head detectionsensor detects that the head top is being worn by the user.

In some instances the position sensor detects if the visor is in apartially open position.

In some instances, the system further comprises a temperatures sensor onthe interior of the head top.

The present disclosure further includes a method of alerting a person ora worker when hazardous exposure is detected. The method comprisesproviding a head top comprising: a visor that is sized to fit over atleast the user's nose and mouth, a position sensor, and a head topcommunication module. The method further comprises detecting with theposition sensor whether the visor is in an open or a closed position.The method further comprises detecting the presence of a hazard andgenerating an alert if the visor is in an open position and if a hazardis present.

In some instances the presence of the hazard is detected by anenvironmental sensor.

In some instances the environmental sensor determines the presence of ahazard when a contaminant level exceeds a designated hazard threshold.

In some instances the alert is generated after the visor has been in anopen position for a period of time exceeding a designated exposurethreshold.

In some instances the head top further comprises a head detectionsensor, and wherein the alert is only generated if the head detectionsensor detects that the head top is being worn by the user.

In some instances the method further comprises detecting if the visor isin a partially open position.

In some instances the head top further comprises a temperature sensor,wherein the temperature sensor detects the temperature in the interiorof the head top.

In an example, a method comprises obtaining usage data from at least oneair respirator system, wherein the usage data comprises data indicativeof operation of the at least one air respirator system; applying, by ananalytics engine, the usage data to a safety learning model thatcharacterizes activity of a user of the at least one air respiratorsystem; predicting a likelihood of an occurrence of a safety conditionassociated with the at least one air respirator system based onapplication of the usage data to the safety learning model; andgenerating an output in response to predicting the likelihood of theoccurrence of the safety event.

In another example, a system comprises a respirator comprising one ormore electronic sensors, the one or more electronic sensors configuredto generate data that is indicative of an operation of the respirator;and one or more servers. The servers are configured to receive the datathat is indicative of the operation of the respirator; apply the data toa safety learning model to predict a likelihood of an occurrence of asafety event associated with the respirator; generate an alert inresponse to predicting the likelihood of the occurrence of the safetyevent; and transmit the alert to the respirator; and wherein therespirator is configured to receive the alert and generate an output inresponse to receiving the alert.

In another example, a method comprises outputting, for display by acomputing device, a user interface (UI) having a plurality ofuser-selectable filters for filtering usage data from at least onerespirator; receiving, by the computing device, at least one indicationof filter selections for the user-selectable filters; and outputting,for display by the computing device, UI content based on the filterselections, the UI content being indicative of the usage datacorresponding to the filter selections.

A method comprising: outputting, for display by a computing device, auser interface (UI) having a plurality of user-selectable filters forfiltering usage data from at least one respirator; receiving, by thecomputing device, at least one indication of filter selections for theuser-selectable filters; and outputting, for display by the computingdevice, UI content based on the filter selections, the UI content beingindicative of the usage data corresponding to the filter selections.

The method of claim 21, wherein the plurality of user-selectable filterscomprises at least two of user identification of a user of a respiratorof the at least one respirator, components of the at least onerespirator, a geographic location, a time, a temperature, a motion ofthe user, an ambient noise, an impact to the at least one respirator, aposture of the user of the at least one respirator, a battery status ofa battery of the at least one respirator, a visor position of a visor ofthe at least one respirator, a presence of a head in a head top of theat least one respirator, a pressure of a blower of the at least onerespirator, a blower speed of the blower of the at least one respirator,a filter status of a filter of the at least one respirator, or a statusof a cartridge of the at least one respirator.

The method of claim 21, further comprising: outputting, for display bythe computing device, a second plurality of user-selectable filters forfiltering alert types from the at least one respirator; receiving, bythe computing device, second filter selections for the second pluralityof user-selectable filters; and outputting, for display by the computingdevice, second UI content based on the second filter selections, thesecond UI content being indicative of the alert types corresponding tothe second filter selections.

The method of claim 21, wherein outputting the second UI content basedon the filter selections comprises outputting UI content that indicatesthe usage data over a time domain.

The method of claim 24, wherein outputting the UI content that indicatesthe usage data over a time domain comprises simultaneously outputting UIcontent for at least two types of usage data.

The method of claim 24, wherein the at least two types of usage datacomprises at least two of a geographic location, a time, a temperature,a motion of the user, an ambient noise, an impact to the at least onerespirator, a posture of the user of the at least one respirator, abattery status of a battery of the at least one respirator, a visorposition of a visor of the at least one respirator, a presence of a headin a head top of the at least one respirator, a pressure of a blower ofthe at least one respirator, a blower speed of the blower of the atleast one respirator, a filter status of a filter of the at least onerespirator, or a status of a cartridge of the at least one respirator.

The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one respirator comprises aplurality of respirators that correspond to respective users.

Although the methods and systems of the present disclosure have beendescribed with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, those ofordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that changes andmodifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit andscope of the present disclosure.

In the present detailed description of the preferred embodiments,reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which illustratespecific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. Theillustrated embodiments are not intended to be exhaustive of allembodiments according to the invention. It is to be understood thatother embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes maybe made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Thefollowing detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in alimiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by theappended claims.

Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing feature sizes,amounts, and physical properties used in the specification and claimsare to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term“about.” Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numericalparameters set forth in the foregoing specification and attached claimsare approximations that can vary depending upon the desired propertiessought to be obtained by those skilled in the art utilizing theteachings disclosed herein.

As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singularforms “a,” “an,” and “the” encompass embodiments having pluralreferents, unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. As used inthis specification and the appended claims, the term “or” is generallyemployed in its sense including “and/or” unless the content clearlydictates otherwise.

Spatially related terms, including but not limited to, “proximate,”“distal,” “lower,” “upper,” “beneath,” “below,” “above,” and “on top,”if used herein, are utilized for ease of description to describe spatialrelationships of an element(s) to another. Such spatially related termsencompass different orientations of the device in use or operation inaddition to the particular orientations depicted in the figures anddescribed herein. For example, if an object depicted in the figures isturned over or flipped over, portions previously described as below orbeneath other elements would then be above or on top of those otherelements.

As used herein, when an element, component, or layer for example isdescribed as forming a “coincident interface” with, or being “on,”“connected to,” “coupled with,” “stacked on” or “in contact with”another element, component, or layer, it can be directly on, directlyconnected to, directly coupled with, directly stacked on, in directcontact with, or intervening elements, components or layers may be on,connected, coupled or in contact with the particular element, component,or layer, for example. When an element, component, or layer for exampleis referred to as being “directly on,” “directly connected to,”“directly coupled with,” or “directly in contact with” another element,there are no intervening elements, components or layers for example. Thetechniques of this disclosure may be implemented in a wide variety ofcomputer devices, such as servers, laptop computers, desktop computers,notebook computers, tablet computers, hand-held computers, smart phones,and the like. Any components, modules or units have been described toemphasize functional aspects and do not necessarily require realizationby different hardware units. The techniques described herein may also beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.Any features described as modules, units or components may beimplemented together in an integrated logic device or separately asdiscrete but interoperable logic devices. In some cases, variousfeatures may be implemented as an integrated circuit device, such as anintegrated circuit chip or chipset. Additionally, although a number ofdistinct modules have been described throughout this description, manyof which perform unique functions, all the functions of all of themodules may be combined into a single module, or even split into furtheradditional modules. The modules described herein are only exemplary andhave been described as such for better ease of understanding.

If implemented in software, the techniques may be realized at least inpart by a computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, whenexecuted in a processor, performs one or more of the methods describedabove. The computer-readable medium may comprise a tangiblecomputer-readable storage medium and may form part of a computer programproduct, which may include packaging materials. The computer-readablestorage medium may comprise random access memory (RAM) such assynchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), read-only memory(ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM), FLASH memory, magnetic oroptical data storage media, and the like. The computer-readable storagemedium may also comprise a non-volatile storage device, such as ahard-disk, magnetic tape, a compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk(DVD), Blu-ray disk, holographic data storage media, or othernon-volatile storage device.

The term “processor,” as used herein may refer to any of the foregoingstructure or any other structure suitable for implementation of thetechniques described herein. In addition, in some aspects, thefunctionality described herein may be provided within dedicated softwaremodules or hardware modules configured for performing the techniques ofthis disclosure. Even if implemented in software, the techniques may usehardware such as a processor to execute the software, and a memory tostore the software. In any such cases, the computers described hereinmay define a specific machine that is capable of executing the specificfunctions described herein. Also, the techniques could be fullyimplemented in one or more circuits or logic elements, which could alsobe considered a processor.

In one or more examples, the functions described may be implemented inhardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implementedin software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over, as oneor more instructions or code, a computer-readable medium and executed bya hardware-based processing unit. Computer-readable media may includecomputer-readable storage media, which corresponds to a tangible mediumsuch as data storage media, or communication media including any mediumthat facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place toanother, e.g., according to a communication protocol. In this manner,computer-readable media generally may correspond to (1) tangiblecomputer-readable storage media, which is non-transitory or (2) acommunication medium such as a signal or carrier wave. Data storagemedia may be any available media that can be accessed by one or morecomputers or one or more processors to retrieve instructions, codeand/or data structures for implementation of the techniques described inthis disclosure. A computer program product may include acomputer-readable medium.

By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable storagemedia can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical diskstorage, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices, flashmemory, or any other medium that can be used to store desired programcode in the form of instructions or data structures and that can beaccessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed acomputer-readable medium. For example, if instructions are transmittedfrom a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable,fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), orwireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then thecoaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wirelesstechnologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in thedefinition of medium. It should be understood, however, thatcomputer-readable storage media and data storage media do not includeconnections, carrier waves, signals, or other transient media, but areinstead directed to non-transient, tangible storage media. Disk anddisc, as used, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc,digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc, where disksusually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce dataoptically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be includedwithin the scope of computer-readable media.

Instructions may be executed by one or more processors, such as one ormore digital signal processors (DSPs), general purpose microprocessors,application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmablelogic arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integrated or discrete logiccircuitry. Accordingly, the term “processor”, as used may refer to anyof the foregoing structure or any other structure suitable forimplementation of the techniques described. In addition, in someaspects, the functionality described may be provided within dedicatedhardware and/or software modules. Also, the techniques could be fullyimplemented in one or more circuits or logic elements.

The techniques of this disclosure may be implemented in a wide varietyof devices or apparatuses, including a wireless handset, an integratedcircuit (IC) or a set of ICs (e.g., a chip set). Various components,modules, or units are described in this disclosure to emphasizefunctional aspects of devices configured to perform the disclosedtechniques, but do not necessarily require realization by differenthardware units. Rather, as described above, various units may becombined in a hardware unit or provided by a collection ofinteroperative hardware units, including one or more processors asdescribed above, in conjunction with suitable software and/or firmware.

It is to be recognized that depending on the example, certain acts orevents of any of the methods described herein can be performed in adifferent sequence, may be added, merged, or left out all together(e.g., not all described acts or events are necessary for the practiceof the method). Moreover, in certain examples, acts or events may beperformed concurrently, e.g., through multi-threaded processing,interrupt processing, or multiple processors, rather than sequentially.

In some examples, a computer-readable storage medium includes anon-transitory medium. The term “non-transitory” indicates, in someexamples, that the storage medium is not embodied in a carrier wave or apropagated signal. In certain examples, a non-transitory storage mediumstores data that can, over time, change (e.g., in RAM or cache).

Various examples have been described. These and other examples arewithin the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a head-mounted device havinga face shield comprising a transparent or semi-transparent physicalbarrier; a respirator coupled to or embodied in the head mounted device;at least one light having a light intensity; at least one lightdetector; and at least one computing device communicatively coupled tothe at least one light detector, the at least one computing devicecomprising a memory and one or more computer processors that: receive,from the light detector, data indicating a type and intensity of lightdetected by the light detector; determine, based on the data indicativeof the type of light and intensity of light, whether the type of lightmatches a particular type of light, and whether the intensity of lightexceeds a threshold; in response to the determination, modify theintensity of the at least one light.
 2. The system of claim 1, whereinthe modification of the intensity of the at least one light comprisesnotification data associated with the determination.
 3. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the head mounted device and respirator comprise apowered air purifying respirator.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein theat least one light detector comprises an optical sensor capable ofdetecting one or more wavelength spectrums of light.
 5. The system ofclaim 4, wherein the one or more wavelength spectrums of light comprisesnon-visible light.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least onelight comprises at least one light emitting diode.
 7. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the device is worn by a first worker, and wherein theindication of the intensity of light detected by the light detector isbased on a second worker facing in a first direction; wherein the one ormore computer processors: receive an indication of a direction in whichthe first worker is facing; determine that the direction in which thefirst worker is facing at least has or will expose a face of the firstworker to light from the second worker; and send, based on thedetermination that the direction in which the first worker is facing atleast has or will expose a face of the first worker to light of thesecond worker, the indication for output to the first worker.
 8. Thesystem of claim 7, wherein to determine that the direction in which thefirst worker is facing at least has or will expose a face of the firstworker to light from the second worker, the one or more computerprocessors: determine a first bearing of the direction in which thefirst worker is facing; determine a second bearing of the direction inwhich the second worker is facing; determine an angle between the firstand second bearings; and determine whether the angle between the firstand second bearings satisfies an angular threshold.
 9. The system ofclaim 7, further comprising: a motion detector attached to the workerand communicatively coupled to the computing device; wherein the one ormore computer processors: receive, prior to the first worker facing inthe direction that exposes the face of the first worker to light fromthe second worker, a set of one or more indications of motion thatindicate the face of the first worker moving towards the direction ofthe light from the second worker; and send the indication for output tothe first worker prior to the face of the first worker being exposed tolight from the second worker.
 10. A method comprising: receiving, by acomputing device and from a light detector, an indication that lightdetected by the light detector is of a particular type and intensity,wherein a head-mounted device includes the light detector, a lighthaving a light intensity, a transparent or semi-transparent face shield,and is coupled to or includes a respirator; determining, from theindication received from the light detector, that the light is of aparticular type, and that the light intensity exceeds a threshold level;and generating, in response to determining that the light is of aparticular type and that the light intensity exceeds a threshold level,notification data that comprises instructions that when executed by thecomputing device, modify the intensity of the light.
 11. The method ofclaim 10, wherein the respirator is a powered air purifying respirator.12. The method of claim 11, wherein the light comprises one or morelight emitting diodes.